Affordable Housing
The 204th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina created a Bishop’s Committee on Affordable Housing. The Committee recently produced a curriculum and a guidebook to showcase successful housing programs in the Diocese and to suggest ways for all to get involved.
Download the affordable housing guidebook
Resources for Churches
ABOUT THE CRISIS: A MESSAGE FOR OUR LAWMAKERS
In North Carolina, the affordable housing crisis is worsening. Almost 560,000 households with incomes less than 50% of the median income can't find rental housing that fits their income. Housing insecurity and risk of homelessness directly impact health, academic performance and economic productivity. We call on our elected representatives to:
- Expand the supply of quality housing for low-wage workers and people with disabilities through substantially greater state investment.
- Allow creative local government policies that can create an adequate supply of safe housing for all incomes.
These actions would significantly assist hundreds of families across this state in securing or retaining decent and stable housing, which is essential to any individual or family being able to contribute to the State’s attractiveness and economic growth and is our response to God’s call to love our neighbor.
We know that housing insecurity and homelessness impact health, academic performance, and economic productivity. However, fulltime workers earning minimum wage can afford rents no more than $377 per month; $19.18 hourly wage is needed to pay for a typical 2-bedroom apartment at market rate. Without public investment for housing below-market rent, children and their parents live constantly on the edge.*
We join with housing advocates across the state to urge a significant expansion of dedicated recurring public resources for affordable housing. Unpredictable funding leaves housing developers without reliable financing for planning new projects. Major state investments will expand urgent home repairs, prevent displacement, build supportive housing for people with special needs, and leverage multifamily construction and private financing. This will support a substantial boost in the production and preservation of homes, addressing the “shortage of decent, safe, and sanitary housing available at affordable prices” that is crucial to economic development and health.
The state also largely controls the policies that cities can adopt to ensure an adequate supply of housing that is accessible across the community’s income range and to preserve housing in safe and healthy condition. Local governments badly need more tools to address these problems; one size does not fit all in our rapidly growing and diverse state.
- Local governments need authority to inspect housing for conditions that put occupants at risk when the owner fails to correct safety violations at its other properties. Government barriers to building affordable housing need to be reduced.
- To make it possible for more families who have owned their affordable homes to stay in their homes, especially in gentrifying areas where property taxes are rising, the Homestead Exclusion Program should be expanded by making those 55 and older eligible, and by tying eligibility to a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI).
We are telling our elected representatives the changes we need for all God’s children to have homes.
Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, Bishop’s Committee on Affordable Housing. Contact us at [email protected].
* Housing Trust Fund (HTF), the state’s most flexible program tool for affordable housing
- created in 1987 by the General Assembly (GA) and is managed by the NC Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA)
- appropriations have varied from $0 to $20 million, including $7.6 million last year
- addresses a broad range of housing needs including urgent home repairs for seniors, accessibility ramps and home modifications for persons with disabilities, supportive apartments for the homeless, and domestic violence shelters
- income targeting is directed by state statute and all beneficiaries must be below 30% and 80% of median
We support NCHFA’s budget request of $70 million recurring funds.
Workforce Housing Loan Program (WHLP), currently nonrecurring
- created by the GA in 2014 to replace the state housing credit and is managed by NCHFA
- fills the finance gap in building affordable apartments to reduce rents in urban areas and make rental projects feasible in rural areas
- last year’s appropriation of $190 million was fully used to meet shortfalls in 77 stalled rental projects
We support NCHFA’s budget request of $35 million recurring funds.
Affordable Housing Stories
Disciple: Building a Partnership
GET INVOLVED
Becoming Beloved Community—Good Homes for All
Four Steps to Make a BIG Difference
- Find the contact information for your representative: Representation - North Carolina General Assembly (ncleg.gov)
- Find housing data for your county: County Profiles – North Carolina Housing Coalition (nchousing.org),
- Fill in the name of your church and county and housing data in using the letter template below.
- Sign the letter with your name and address and email or print and mail.
Dear North Carolina Senator :
OR
Dear North Carolina House Representative :
The mission of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is Becoming Beloved Community. I am a member of Episcopal Church and am committed to our community having good places for all to live.
[in our county, housing costs are higher than 30% of household income for ##### households I am especially concerned because of my personal experience helping people with housing problems. ]
Housing needs in North Carolina grow more serious by the day, yet our State’s successful affordable housing programs are badly underfunded.
There are proven programs with successful track records. We can do better in supporting them. In the upcoming State budget, please prioritize making major investments in the NC Housing Trust Fund and Workforce Housing Loan Program. These programs assist the most vulnerable populations in our State and provide gap financing for affordable rental developments.
I strongly urge you to support expanded affordable housing investment in the State budget. As always, thank you for your public service.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Regional Deacon
