Title
Receive a presentation and vote to approve the 2024-2025 Housing Trust Fund recommendation from the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, which includes a recommendation to award $150,000 to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, the authorization to initiate a second round of the Housing Trust Fund process, and the establishment of a Strategic Housing Effort in the amount of $10,000 with the use of a portion of the remaining 2024-2025 Housing Trust Fund allocation
Abstract
Introduction & Background: The Housing Trust Fund supports the development and preservation of affordable housing in Chatham County. Since its inception, the Fund has facilitated the investment of $1,900,000 in new housing construction and rehabilitation of existing owner-occupied housing. In sum, the fund has supported the creation or maintenance of an estimated 400 units.
Applications for new Housing Trust Fund awards were collected from September through November of 2024. Members of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee reviewed those applications and discussed and evaluated applications at the December meeting. Based on their evaluation, the committee voted to recommend the following:
• Funding for Rebuilding Together of the Triangle in the amount of $150,000 to provide home repairs, accessibility modifications, and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income residents.
• Approve the use of $10,000 in unawarded Housing Trust Fund balance for housing-related research and community partnership efforts under the oversight of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee through a Strategic Housing Efforts Account.
• Authorize another application period for awards from the Housing Trust Fund to distribute the remaining funds, totaling $140,000, including opportunities for applicants who were not selected to reapply and to solicit applications from new interested parties. This application period will be initiated on or before February 28, 2025, and conclude on or before April 30, 2025.
Further details on the recommended award, denied applications, and the Strategic Housing Efforts Account, can be found in the “Discussion & Analysis” section of this abstract.
Discussion & Analysis: The 2024-2025 Housing Trust Fund application cycle received two applications with funding requests totaling $250,000. These applications were reviewed by the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee in a process facilitated by staff according to published scoring criteria. In formal review, the Committee came to a consensus that one of the two applications merited funding.
Rebuilding Together of the Triangle applied for funds to provide home repairs, accessibility modifications, and energy efficiency upgrades for an estimated 55 low-income households in Chatham County. Rebuilding Together of the Triangle leverages multiple public and private funding sources to ensure that residents have safe and quality homes, and a Housing Trust Fund award allows greater flexibility and for more comprehensive services for residents. The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee recommends that the Board of County Commissioners fulfill their funding request in the amount of $150,000 to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle.
The other application for funds, submitted by Habitat for Humanity, was found by the committee to include insufficient details for recommendation at this time. As a result, staff contacted representatives of Habitat for Humanity with a summary of the Committee’s feedback and suggested improvements, which is intended to support Habitat in future applications for funds. Habitat for Humanity has been invited to apply for funds in a future application cycle.
As the Committee received two applications and saw fit to recommend one, half of the Housing Trust Fund balance ($150,000) remains unallocated at this time. The Housing Trust Fund policy adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in August of 2024 identifies options should awards fall short of the full Housing Trust Fund allocation. One such option is to use “funds for other targeted strategic housing efforts,” advancing policy priorities of “supporting diverse affordable housing options” and “mitigating harmful outcomes.” In the last year, the committee has identified specific outreach and partnership efforts that would advance these policy goals. As such, the Committee has recommended that some of the remaining funds be used to connect with Chatham County residents who either currently enjoy or need affordable housing through a Strategic Housing Efforts Account. These funds will be used to assess housing needs, build community partnerships, and develop strategies in coordination with residents to protect and expand affordable housing options. Research efforts have long been an important use of Housing Trust Fund allocations. During the first award cycle in 2019, a Housing Trust Fund award supported research efforts for Chatham County to conduct its first Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, which informs fair housing practices and provided goals for housing programming and relationships with housing providers. With all this considered, the Committee recommends that the Board of Commissioners authorize the use of $10,000 in unawarded Housing Trust Fund balance for research and community engagement efforts in a Strategic Housing Efforts account. This initial allocation is intended to be a one-time expenditure from the Housing Trust Fund, to demonstrate the potential value of such a fund and improve Chatham County government’s response to housing needs, with future allocations potentially included in the regular budget development process.
The Committee also recommends that the Board of Commissioners approve another application cycle to disburse the remaining Housing Trust Fund money, totaling $140,000 should the two recommendations above be approved. This application cycle will be in line with the existing Housing Trust Fund policy and will largely resemble the fall application process. Applications could open shortly after receiving approval from the Board of Commissioners to ensure adequate time for applicants to prepare and for the Committee and the Board to review these new applications, so that awards and contracts can be settled in a timely manner.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan:
The proposed awards and recommended action advance two Comprehensive Plan goals. These recommendations advance goal 9, “Provide equitable access to high-quality education, housing and community options for all,” by providing a direct investment in housing access for low-income members of the Chatham County community. Funds directed to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle will extend the useful life of owner-occupied housing, thus preventing displacement or increased housing costs. The Strategic Housing Effort Account will expand opportunities to research necessary housing interventions in the county and encourage equity in decision-making on affordable housing topics. Investment in housing preservation also advances goal 8, “Become more resilient by mitigating, responding and adapting to emerging threats.” By investing in home improvements, accessibility upgrades, and energy-efficient systems, housing across the county will be more resilient, consume less energy, and produce fewer emissions.
Budgetary Impact: Approving the AHAC award recommendation and Strategic Housing Efforts Account will have an impact of $160,000 on the Chatham County Housing Trust Fund. $300,000 was approved for use in the Housing Trust Fund awards with the adoption of the FY2025 operating budget. As the recommended amount is less than the full Trust Fund amount, no net budgetary impact will be realized.
Recommendation/Motion: Motion to approve the 2024-2025 Housing Trust Fund recommendation from the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, which includes a recommendation to award $150,000 to Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, the authorization to initiate a second round of the Housing Trust Fund process, and the establishment of a Strategic Housing Effort in the amount of $10,000 with the use of a portion of the remaining 2024-2025 Housing Trust Fund allocation.