Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
3 <br /> Racial Demographics of LHA Awardees Age Demographics of LHA Awardees <br /> 2024 2025 2024 2025 <br /> Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percent Number Percent <br /> White 282 56% 455 57% <_55 86 17% 101 13% <br /> Black 101 20% 178 22% 56-60 37 7% 40 5% <br /> Asian 39 8% 96 12% 61-65 63 13% 66 8% <br /> Other 25 5% 15 2% 66-70 82 16% 103 13% <br /> Undisclosed 55 11% 61 7% 71-75 91 18% 94 12% <br /> TOTAL 502 805 76-80 69 14% 95 12% <br /> 81-85 36 7% 41 5% <br /> 86+ 38 8% 40 5% <br /> No data 0 0% 225 28% <br /> TOTAL 502 805 <br /> Note:Percentages may not add up to 100%due to rounding. <br /> For households that received both Orange County and Town of Chapel Hill funding, staff applied <br /> the calculation formula for Orange County first and determined that assistance amount. Staff then <br /> applied the same formula a second time for assistance from Chapel Hill. The award amount was <br /> then proportionally reduced based on the amount of funding that Chapel Hill provided compared <br /> to Orange County. Staff also doublechecked all of these households to ensure that no recipients <br /> received more assistance than their overall tax burden. <br /> As an example, if a household had $25,000 of income per year, had an eligible home value and <br /> met the threshold requirement for assistance, staff applied the previously approved prioritization <br /> (e.g. time in county, age of household and income level) in accordance with past practice. The <br /> household might be eligible for $1,000 of assistance for Orange County. Staff then applied the <br /> same prioritization to the example household that is Town of Chapel Hill eligible to determine a <br /> new award amount. Staff then reduced that award amount proportionally according to the total <br /> funds provided by the Town. <br /> Staff suggests the County reconsider eligibility requirements to target funds toward longer-term <br /> Orange County residents. With the eligibility threshold at five (5) years of ownership, many <br /> residents are able to receive assistance even after purchasing a home since housing prices have <br /> inflated. By lengthening the eligibility requirement to at least ten (10) years, or even setting a <br /> purchase-by date (e.g. 2015), the County could assure that limited funds are assisting the longest <br /> residing homeowners and households of least means. <br /> As noted in the following table, 137 of the 805 awardees purchased their homes since 2016, and <br /> those households received assistance totaling $27,400. If the period for ownership was <br /> lengthened, this assistance could go to longer-term homeowners who are more likely to need the <br /> assistance, as they purchased their homes when homes were more accessible to low-income <br /> households. The table below models the potential redistribution of those funds: <br />