City of Raleigh issued the following announcement on Aug. 17.
The City hosted an Affordable Housing Open House on Saturday, August 6, at the John Chavis Memorial Park Community Center. Over 1,000 residents attended to receive information about local housing resources and programs.
Many factors impact housing affordability, such as construction costs and the overall supply of available homes. In Raleigh, rent costs have also increased over time, but household earnings have not kept up. As the City continues to grow, the gap is expected to widen, making it more difficult for residents to have an affordable, safe place to call home.
Finding innovative, accessible, and urgent solutions to affordable housing is a top priority for the City of Raleigh. The event highlighted various City programs and City-funded local organizations that support residents struggling to find an affordable place to live.
"There will definitely be more events like this in the future," said Evan Raleigh, Assistant City Manager. "I think one of the biggest takeaways, that we've already learned, is that the need is great, and the demand is there for this type of information."
The open house, hosted by the City’s Housing and Neighborhoods Department, provided information about housing programs and resources available in Raleigh. Residents had the opportunity to ask staff questions, get connected to other services offered by community partners, and learn about topics related to affordable rental developments, homebuyer assistance, homeowner repairs, neighborhood revitalization, and small business development initiatives.
Local nonprofit organizations and external agencies that provide homelessness and rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, and other public services were available at the event. Organizations included Wake County Housing Affordability & Community Revitalization, Resources for Seniors, Evergreen Construction, NC Homeowner Assistance Fund, the Housing Justice Project with Campbell Law School, DHIC, Triangle Family Services, Passage Home, Southeast Raleigh Promise, and the Raleigh Area Land Trust.
Because every person has different needs, a wide range of City service areas were also represented. Featured at the event were Planning and Development, Raleigh Water, Solid Waste Services, Sustainability, Stormwater, Equity and Inclusion, Community Engagement, GoRaleigh, and Raleigh Parks.
The City is committed to creating, preserving, and encouraging the development of affordable housing units in Raleigh. Beginning in 2016, the City established an aspirational goal to create 570 affordable housing units a year for 10 years, with a grand total of 5,700 housing units by 2026. So far, the City has completed about half of the 10-year goal.
If you were unable to attend the event, please visit raleighnc.gov/housing for a list of resources provided by the City of Raleigh.
Original source can be found here.
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