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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 1, 2022 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 5-a <br /> SUBJECT: Public Hearing on Orange County's HOME-ARP Allocation Plan <br /> DEPARTMENT: Housing <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Attachment 1: Draft HOME-ARP Allocation Corey Root, Housing Director, (919) 245- <br /> Plan 2490 <br /> PURPOSE: To hold a public hearing on Orange County's HOME-ARP Allocation Plan. <br /> BACKGROUND: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 appropriated $5 billion nationwide to <br /> provide housing, services, and shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness and other <br /> vulnerable populations. The funds were allocated by formula to jurisdictions through the U.S. <br /> Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) <br /> Program. This funding is called "HOME-ARP". In September 2021, HUD awarded the Orange <br /> County HOME Consortium (which consists of the County — the "lead entity" for the Consortium — <br /> and the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough) $1,371,401 in HOME-ARP funds. <br /> Led by the Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative (a group made up of one elected <br /> official from each jurisdiction that comprises the Consortium), the Orange County HOME <br /> Consortium must develop an Allocation Plan to identify priority housing and service needs in the <br /> community that may be supported with HOME-ARP funds and to describe the process that will be <br /> used to distribute HOME-ARP funds. The Consortium's $1.3 million in HOME-ARP may not be <br /> used for eligible housing projects or activities until an Allocation Plan is approved by HUD. It is <br /> not expected that any funds will be committed or disbursed in the near future, since the <br /> Consortium is just now starting the planning process. The Allocation Plan will determine how the <br /> HOME-ARP funds will be awarded to projects or activities and lay out, broadly, which types of <br /> eligible uses the Consortium plans to prioritize. <br /> Once the Allocation Plan is created, staff will follow the process outlined in the Plan. For example, <br /> if (based on the community engagement and needs assessment process), the Collaborative <br /> decides to distribute HOME-ARP funds through a competitive application process and to prioritize <br /> development of affordable housing, staff would then issue a funding application for affordable <br /> housing development projects. <br /> As part of the development of the Plan, Orange County must consult with stakeholders that work <br /> with the "Qualifying Populations" listed above. County and Town staff are actively engaging <br /> stakeholders by presenting at meetings, soliciting feedback through a survey, and incorporating <br /> feedback from the Towns' community engagement processes around ARPA funding. <br />