Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
22 <br /> CR-30 - Public Housing 91.220(h); 91.32O(j) <br /> Actions taken to address the needs of public housing <br /> Public housing in Orange County is provided by two entities—the Orange County Housing Authority <br /> (OCHA) and the Town of Chapel Hill's Office of Housing and Community. Housed within the Orange <br /> County Housing Department, OCHA does not manage any public housing units, but oversees 643 <br /> Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV, commonly known as Section 8), all of which are tenant-based. OCHA <br /> currently has 20 HUD-VASH vouchers and is applying for five Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) <br /> vouchers. OCHA is also exploring the possibility of implementing project-based vouchers within the next <br /> year. OCHA is overseen by a seven-member Board. <br /> The Orange County HOME Consortium undertook the following to address the needs of HCV holders: <br /> • In partnership with the Towns and local nonprofits,the County worked to increase the number <br /> of landlords willing to participate in the HCV Program. In 2023, Orange County Housing <br /> Department's Housing Access Coordinator arranged two "landlord workshops" to recruit more <br /> landlords to accept vouchers and to help connect voucher holders and other low-income <br /> households with affordable housing options. <br /> • The County worked to streamline the design and administration of the housing stabilization <br /> funds (designed to help low-income renters, including HCV holders, secure and maintain stable <br /> housing) offered by the County and each of the Towns. In spring of 2020, a streamlined program <br /> called the Emergency Housing Assistance program was created using funds from the County and <br /> Towns, as well as Coronavirus Relief Funds and other state and federal funding sources. <br /> • OCHA ensured units in which households in the HCV Program live are safe and healthy by <br /> conducting Quality Control inspections on a subset of units. <br /> • The County laid the groundwork to implement a "Move On" program, in which people with <br /> Permanent Supportive Housing Vouchers (PSHVs) whose service needs have lowered <br /> considerably and/or who no longer need services are transitioned to HCVs, freeing up PSHVs for <br /> more vulnerable individuals with higher service needs. <br /> Actions taken to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in <br /> management and participate in homeownership <br /> OCHA does not own any public housing units. However, OCHA has HCV holder involvement on its Board <br /> and encourages HCV holders to become homeowners. Additionally, OCHA has revived its <br /> Homeownership Voucher program, which allows HCV clients to use their subsidy toward mortgage <br /> payments. OCHA staff has sent applications to about a dozen interested clients so far.The Chapel Hill <br /> Office of Housing and Community provides programs and services for public housing residents, as well <br /> as the broader neighborhood and community.These include community clean-ups, neighborhood pop- <br /> ups, a weekly food bank program, a Reading Partners program, National Night Out, senior bingo (in <br /> conjunction with the Hargraves Community Center), an International Potluck, and a 2020 Census <br /> 21 <br />