Cape Fear Housing Coalition

Shout out to New Beginning Christian Church for helping our neighbors weather these challenging economic times, and shout out to New Hanover County for offering funding opportunities that makes programs like this possible.

‘They don’t need a handout, just a little help’: Nonprofit assists 32 people in paying rent | Port City Daily NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Tens of thousands of dollars was announced to go into the pockets of multiple people needing financial help with housing costs in New Hanover County. READ MORE: As rent and…

Are you looking for funding for an affordable housing project or program in New Hanover County? Follow the link below to sign up for one of two information sessions being held this week about this year's Workforce Housing Services Program funding opportunities!

Housing | New Hanover County, NC Housing affordability is important for the people who live and work in our county.

Interested in Fair Housing or tenant rights? Check out this information session tomorrow at Warner Temple hosted by the City of Wilmington, NC/New Hanover County Community Relations Advisory Committee. The speaker is from Legal Aid of North Carolina's Fair Housing Project. The event is free and open to the public!

Transportation and infrastructure improvements are key to addressing our community's housing crisis. Take the survey linked below to provide feedback to the NC DOT on their 10-year plan:

NCDOT asking for feedback with 10-year transportation plan - WWAYTV3 The NCDOT wants your feedback to help draft its 10-year transportation plan.

Infill development is one way to provide 'missing middle' housing. But is it truly affordable? Comment your thoughts on missing middle housing below!

From the article:

“Missing middle is everything in between single-family and your traditional walk-up apartments – duplex, triplex, quadruplex, townhomes, courtyards, two-story walkups,” said Brian Chambers, the department’s assistant director. “Everything in the middle that’s missing.”

It’s a housing type that planning staff in Wilmington are trying to encourage because it can help bring denser construction to small- or medium-sized vacant lots that are ripe for infill development.

“We’ve got to provide density where it makes sense because we’re a growing city,” Chambers said, “and we are charged with planning how we’re going to grow.”

Because missing middle housing takes shape in smaller complexes, the units – whether for rent or for sale – can often be more affordable, Painter said. Building smaller infill projects on vacant lots also generates more housing supply.

Filling in: Apartments edge into downtown pockets | WilmingtonBiz On a handful of vacant lots in corridors just south of downtown Wilmington, apartment projects are popping up one by one.  At the corner of Castle and South Eighth streets, for example, site work is starting on a 10-unit apartment building. A few blocks away, another proposal would bring 82 apartme...

Did you know -- developing housing is HARD! When you layer on additional applications and technical requirements associated with affordable housing development, it gets even trickier. Thanks to the folks at WHQR Public Media for offering this overview of the process.

Development 101: A look at the how the process works in the Cape Fear region Residents in New Hanover County have development as a top-of-mind issue because of the substantial growth, largely in the form of apartment complexes and sprawling single-family neighborhoods, seen in the area. WHQR created this guide to help residents understand the ins and outs of the process.

June is Homeownership Month, and New Hanover County was just ranked the 4th most challenging housing market in the entire nation. We know that homeownership is a key way to gain long-term financial stability and to build generational wealth, yet buying a home is an unattainable dream for many hardworking households in our community. Do you want to share your story of pursuing homeownership? Comment below, share this post, or send us a message!

New study ranks New Hanover County 4th most difficult to buy a home in nationwide | Port City Daily NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A new national report found New Hanover among the toughest markets for homebuyers in the nation. A local economic expert believes the ranking may be overstated…

A new The Pew Charitable Trusts and National Low Income Housing Coalition survey demonstrates overwhelming support for state and local policies that allow for more housing. Check out the article here: https://nlihc.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e702259618becdc3f0451bd5d&id=a767ee50e5&e=82beecc2da

We love seeing adaptive reuse projects that create more housing for our neighbors!

Along Market Street, developers turn hotels into apartments | WilmingtonBiz Along Wilmington’s bustling Market Street corridor, two commercial real estate brokers are eyeing change.  John Hinnant, vice president of Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate, and Nick Silivanch, a partner with the firm, helped broker a deal to upfit Market Street’s former Budgetel Inn and...

WHQR Public Media interviewed Coalition member Roger Gins of Backyard Housing Group about the process of building an Accessory Dwelling Unit, which adds an additional unit of housing onto a single family residence or property. Read or listen to the interview here:

How to: Building an accessory dwelling unit in Wilmington The City of Wilmington is revamping its regulations to make it much easier for more people to build an accessory dwelling unit, a.k.a. ADU, Granny flat, FROG (front room over garage), in-law cottage, etc. If you're interested, or just curious about the process, here's a step-by-step guide.

"To truly tackle housing affordability issues in the US, policymakers from multiple levels of government should collaborate to link zoning reforms with increased housing subsidies for the lowest-income households."

No Single Policy Will Increase Housing Affordability. We Need a Comprehensive Strategy. We need both changes in local land-use policy and increases in subsidies for low-income renters to respond to varying housing market conditions.

Excited to see the NCTenantsUnion formed for renters in our state!

North Carolina now has a statewide tenants union Tenants from across the state have come together to form the North Carolina Tenants Union, a statewide organization fighting for housing as a human right.

Great work, Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity!

Established Brunswick community to soon see Habitat for Humanity homes The development will now total more than 60 homes.

"About half of homeowners and renters said they have periodically struggled this year to afford their mortgage payment or rent, according to a recent survey from online real estate broker Redfin. To keep up with their housing payments, some homeowners and renters report selling their belongings, picking up overtime shifts, canceling vacations, working a second job and even skipping meals."

Half of Americans struggling to afford housing, survey finds High housing costs are forcing many renters and homeowners to make serious financial sacrifices, according to Redfin.

Thank you Greater Wilmington Business Journal for this great article on longtime Housing Coalition member Stephanie Norris! Stephanie and her team have been leaders in affordable housing development for decades, and our community is lucky to have them.

From the article:

“You meet all the people who need this housing,” said Norris. “There’s that person who never lived independently, or in a safe situation, or is out of an abusive situation, or a senior who needs a clean place to live independently. This is my county. These are people we live and work with every day, so how can you not keep going?”

Born to create affordable housing | WilmingtonBiz The competition is stiff, and the work is hard, but Stephanie Norris wouldn’t give up her job for anything. Norris, who owns Terroir Development LLC, specializes in developing affordable housing, and it’s her mission to help provide homes for the area’s many residents who find it difficult, if...

Neighbors: we encourage you to complete this survey from the City of Wilmington, NC! We need our leaders to know that we want housing to be affordable for all residents of our community.

🗣️ Wilmy, we need your input! 🗣️

Our Housing & Neighborhood Services staff have created a brief survey so the public can weigh in on community needs that should be prioritized in our Annual Action Plan, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Your input is critical to help us determine where to allocate these federal dollars.

If you'd like to take the survey, which is open until April 8th, go here! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3IUldYf

We had a packed house at our annual advocacy breakfast, Housing Affordability in the Cape Fear! Huge thanks to everyone who attended, our speakers Samuel Gunter from the North Carolina Housing Coalition and Dr. Gregg Colburn, and all our sponsors who made this event possible. Special thanks to Cape Fear REALTORS for hosting and AARP North Carolina for providing breakfast. We hope every attendee left feeling inspired and encouraged that our community can do more to ensure that housing is available, affordable, and accessible for all neighbors!

Thank you WHQR Public Media for covering our Housing Affordability in the Cape Fear 2024 event this week!

The data doesn't lie: a lack of homes is, unsurprisingly, a major cause of homelessness.

National expert says housing shortage, not other factors, causes homelessness The Cape Fear Housing Coalition hosted a national expert on homelessness for its housing breakfast this year. WHQR’s Kelly Kenoyer and Ben Schachtman attended, and have the highlights.

Thank you to all of the sponsors who are making our upcoming Housing Affordability in the Cape Fear 2024 Breakfast possible! Sponsorships ensure that we can offer this and other events throughout the year at no cost to our community. Special thanks to our venue sponsor Cape Fear REALTORS and our breakfast sponsor AARP North Carolina for their support of our Coalition and of housing affordability for all Cape Fear residents!

It's not too late to sponsor or reserve a table - for more information, email [email protected].

The Brunswick County Public Housing Agency is opening its list for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers on Monday, March 11! It will close Monday, March 25. Follow the link below for more information.

Waiting list for Section 8 housing opens in Brunswick County | Port City Daily BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Starting next month, a neighboring county will use an online lottery system to register and select individuals to be waitlisted for low-income housing. The Brunswick County Public…

New Beginning Christian Church's rental assistance program is now open for applications! This program is being offered in partnership with New Hanover County and is open to County residents.

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRb_UmYVjum1FmyWuSTV9HVx38syY3mA5EQ3dKw04upHxaNg/viewform

New Hanover County, nonprofit agency partner on rental assistance program | WilmingtonBiz A nonprofit's partnership with New Hanover County aims to help residents struggling to pay their rent, according to a news release. Wilmington-based New H.O.P.E. CDC will begin accepting applications for its rental assistance program, which will target workforce housing, on Wednesday, the release st...

Thank you to the members of our City of Wilmington/New Hanover County Workforce Housing Advisory Committee for your recommendations to improve and increase housing options in our community.

Read the full list of recommendations here: https://www.whqr.org/local/2024-01-22/housing-costs-still-on-the-rise-whac-recommends-a-new-affordable-housing-fund

Committee pushes for funding, policy change amid affordable housing gap | WilmingtonBiz Even with ongoing affordable housing investments from local government leaders, more work needs to be done, according to Wilmington and New Hanover County’s joint Workforce Housing Advisory Committee. Established in 2019, the 13-member committee is tasked with recommending procedures and policies...

Want to see how your county's housing needs compare to others in North Carolina? Check out the 2024 County Profiles designed by our friends at the North Carolina Housing Coalition!

County Profiles – North Carolina Housing Coalition NCHC’s newly released County Profiles provide a snapshot of housing needs for each of North Carolina's 100 counties. The County Profiles are designed to be used as an education tool for advocates to use with local, state, and federal policy decision makers that articulates North Carolina's housing...

Congratulations to Coalition member Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity on this great project!

Addressing families in need, Brunswick group breaks ground on its first subdivision The six-acre lot will soon see homes, a park and a basketball court.

According to WECT News, local elected leaders shared that affordable housing is a top priority for 2024. What do you want to see accomplished in 2024 to meet our community's housing needs? Comment below!

New Hanover County and Wilmington city leaders share goals for 2024 Leaders say their top priority is always the people, and between the county and city, it sounds like 2024 will be a year of several accomplishments.

Check out this piece on Coalition member WARM NC by StarNews!

Responding to 'social disaster,' Wilmington nonprofit emerges for homeowners in need Originally set up to help after storms, the group realized there were even more needs in area housing