Approved Minutes of May 22, 2024

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH May 22, 2024 reach of mental health support, and plans to consider factors that may influence the diversity of mental health providers. The new Connections to Community Support Committee met on May 15, 2024. Mr. Bagby provided an update on the meeting, sharing that they discussed affordable housing and homelessness, zoning and housing density, access to healthy food, what resources already exist, and committee approaches and scope. The committee focused primarily on access to affordable housing and healthy food, touching on access to farmer's markets and the availability of SNAP/EBT benefits at said markets. Mr. Bagby shared a flyer about local farmer's markets and shared that many offer"double bucks" for customers paying with SNAP/EBT, meaning a $20 voucher will buy $40 worth of food. The committee plans to invite Dr. Stuebe's husband, who is a zoning subject matter expert, to speak with them about zoning and affordable housing at a future meeting. Mr. Bagby added that the committee would like to learn from community members about what they need, the resources they are aware of, and how much support is available in specific situations, for example whether incarcerated individuals are made aware of housing resources prior to their release. Mr. Bagby also mentioned a recent community health fair at DSS, Be Well, which he felt lacked a final takeaway and recommended creating a one- page summary of the resources available. Dr. Stuebe added that a piece of paper can help but she's not sure it replaces assistance from an actual person. Regarding equity/justice, the committee has concerns about housing discrimination and affordability, particularly that Black people in Orange County are disproportionately cost-burdened (more than 30% of their income goes to housing) and are more likely to be denied a mortgage compared to people of other races. Mr. Bagby added that he is interested in tiny homes as an option, to which Commissioner Fowler mentioned the organization Pee Wee Homes, with which Orange County has worked in the past. Dr. Rodgers added that tiny homes have been priced out of many people's price ranges, especially those experiencing homelessness. Dr. Royce asked about eviction diversion, as Durham County's city manager recently added more money to their eviction diversion program. Commissioner Fowler replied that this is also available in Orange County, and Dr. Royce suggested advocating for more funding as a prevention measure. Dr. Jonnal chimed in that housing is a clear priority to virtually everyone in the county, and the first step is for the committee to learn from experts about ways that they can be helpful. Commissioner Fowler mentioned that the Housing Department is working on several areas to address housing, including eviction diversion, rental assistance, and homeownership; she added that it would likely be beneficial to hear from the housing department about initiatives. She added that the need outweighs the budget, and Dr. Stuebe said that the committee hopes to help stem need down the line by learning about and addressing zoning. The Access to Care Committee will next meet in early June. V. Approval of the May 22, 2024 Agenda Motion to approve the agenda of the May 22, 2024 BOH meeting was made by Dr. Lee Pickett, seconded by Dr. Rachel Royce, and carried without dissent. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2024 Agenda and Abstracts/ May Page 3