AGENDA #4m
memorandum
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to: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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from: |
Loryn Clark, Housing and Neighborhood Services Coordinator Rae Buckley, Housing and Neighborhood Services Planner |
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subject: |
Development of a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy |
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date: |
October 8, 2007 |
PURPOSE
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a follow-up report from the Manager’s Listening Session with Affordable Housing providers and to recommend the development of a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy.
We believe a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy could provide a framework to reference as the Council continues to develop and support affordable housing in Chapel Hill.
BACKGROUND
On June 25, 2007, the Town Manager held a Listening Session for non-profit providers of affordable housing throughout the Chapel Hill community. Attending were Delores Bailey, Executive Director of EmPOWERment, Inc.; Robert Dowling, Executive Director of the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust (OCHLT); Susan Levy, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC Inc (HHOC).; and Tina Vaughn, Director of the Town of Chapel Hill Housing Department.
The purpose of the Listening Session was to assemble representatives of the various affordable housing organizations whose activities contribute to the Town’s overall affordable housing system. Through developing an understanding of the system, the participants and the Town could begin to create a comprehensive strategy that would advance the shared goals for affordable housing in the Town of Chapel Hill. To this end, attendees of the Listening Session were asked to prepare an analysis of their organization to bring to the meeting including:
Please refer to Attachment 1 for the EmPOWERment, Inc. analysis; the Habitat for Humanity analysis; and the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust analysis. Please see Attachment 2 for the Department of Housing and Urban Development FY 2007 chart of Income Limits, which is used to calculate the Area Median Income (AMI) for residents of Chapel Hill.
DISCUSSION
The Listening Session revealed the primary activities, issues, successes and challenges for Chapel Hill’s key affordable housing providers. Upon review of the analyses provided by the three nonprofits, we first note that the successes identified by each organization are significant. The most quantifiable success reported in the analyses is the combined development of 246 affordable housing units by the nonprofits since their inception. Other collaborative successes include the development of eight properties by the three nonprofits along Sykes Street in the Northside neighborhood and the creation of the Affordable Housing Group, which conducts a unified homeownership class and application process for the three affordable housing nonprofits.
Working forward from the Listening Session, we propose to develop a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy that would expand on how the activities and issues that were identified in the Listening Session connect with each other and to the entire affordable housing system in Chapel Hill and Orange County. Our goal would be to create a framework of strategies and priorities that could be used as a tool as the Council continues to develop and support affordable housing in Chapel Hill.
Our proposal for a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy includes three components. The first component would be an analysis of the Chapel Hill affordable housing market. This component would include a list of the populations that access affordable housing services in Chapel Hill; a catalogue of the existing programs and affordable housing units in Chapel Hill and Orange County; and an assessment of the gaps that exist between the Town’s current needs and services. The analysis would also discuss issues that are inter-connected with the provision of affordable housing, including organizational capacity, funding sources, Town regulations, long term maintenance and affordability, gentrification, and infrastructure.
The second component of the Strategy would propose solutions and best practices that could address the gaps and issues identified in market analysis described above. This component would include feedback and suggestions from advisory boards, affordable housing organizations and participants in affordable housing programs.
The final component of the Strategy would offer a priority of need and solutions for the affordable housing system in Chapel Hill. This component would also include feedback and suggestions from advisory boards, affordable housing organizations and participants in affordable housing programs.
We believe that a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy could be developed in three months and be submitted to the Council for consideration and revision in early 2008. Please see Attachment 3 for a proposed timeline and work plan for the development of the Strategy.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached Resolution approving the development of a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy for the Town of Chapel Hill.
ATTACHMENTS