Orange County NC Website
30 <br /> that many counties are also competing for installation crews and materials for this type of work. <br /> He said that not being served due to being in a doughnut hole or because the existing service is <br /> slow is an equity issue. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said they need to do whatever they can to incentivize service <br /> expansion. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to <br /> approve the amendment and authorize the Manager to execute the amendment and any other <br /> related documents. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Commissioner Carter said she has heard from residents that now have internet service, <br /> that this has been life changing for families. She thanked all those that worked on the project. <br /> At this point in the meeting, the Board decided to take up item 7-a so Housing staff could depart. <br /> 7. Reports <br /> a. Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness — Data Report <br /> The Board will receive an overview of the work of the Orange County Partnership to End <br /> Homelessness (OCPEH), including updated system level data about homelessness in Orange <br /> County submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) <br /> earlier this year, as well as obstacles and successes. <br /> BACKGROUND: The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) was created <br /> in 2005 to coordinate funding and activities to end homelessness in Orange County. OCPEH is <br /> jointly funded by Orange County(39.5%)and the Towns of Carrboro(14.3%), Chapel Hill (39.7%), <br /> and Hillsborough (6.5%). <br /> Overview <br /> This year has seen a series of transitions as the community recovered from the COVID 19 <br /> pandemic in several ways. COVID-era relief funding has been exhausted. Community partners <br /> have experienced reductions in grant and small donor revenue which has resulted in diminished <br /> program capacity at a time when community need remains high. This period has also highlighted <br /> the importance of local and regional collaboration to address the rise of homelessness. <br /> The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) uses a variety of funding <br /> sources to support community-level planning, coordination and evaluation efforts. Funders <br /> include federal and local government, foundations, and private partners. <br /> Challenges <br /> Orange County has seen a significant increase in Fair Market Rents leading to over half of the <br /> rental households in this community being cost-burdened. Compounding the rental pressures are <br /> the expiration of COVID-era Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) funds. New eligibility criteria <br /> and benefit caps have increased demand on the homeless system and increases in first-time <br /> homelessness. While emergency shelter capacity has increased in 2023 and served more people <br /> than ever before, the need for emergency shelter during inclement weather outstripped shelter <br /> capacity. Like many communities, Orange County has also seen the loss of institutional <br /> knowledge through staff turnover both internally and with local partners, as well loss of non-local <br /> and non-HUD funding, such as the Victims of Crime Act which supported domestic violence and <br /> sexual assault programming. <br />