Housing GSO: HRA Greensboro Affordable Housing Plan

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

NOTES | Community Engagement Meetings

May 29, 2019 Community Leaders Focus Group

Attendees: Beth McKee-Huger, representatives from: Piedmont Triad Regional Council, CFGG, NC A&T, Greensboro Now, Cone Health, East Greensboro Now, UNCG Center for New North Carolinians, and United Way

Existing Challenges

• Supply – 26K families that don’t have housing or are paying more than they can afford • Need for services – to get into housing, Need for a financial base to pull those together, Need for upkeep • Involving the knowledge of what do we really want – building off of what is seen in West Gboro, is that right for East? They have their own great ideas that should be listened to • Wages are not at the level to sustain affordable housing, education levels don’t lend to being able to earn wages for housing, housing prices increasing, building costs are the same for a mansion vs. affordable housing. Lost light manufacturing, replaced with service jobs that don’t pay a living wage • If there is enough funding, the number will go down – subsidized housing will be the key • Affordable housing means different things to different people • Levers are all linked – if build in NW, need transportation systems and schools, connect to areas of opportunity • Fair housing – issue in Gboro – 123 city policies to allow for furthering of fair housing • Need input from county commissioners and government – who can collect taxes, etc. – tension needs to be addressed • Have a lot of MF, but it is about where it is placed, lack of bus routes • Can get better jobs, but the amount of time it takes to get there isn’t feasible – transportation accessible for the City at large • More housing at all segments – middle-income, higher middle density • Model for upward mobility that would require some zoning changes • People are moving out of rural counties into the city because of services. Suburban services not working for older adults • Are we building housing that is going to keep talented university grads here? • Loudon County VA model – lottery for affordable town homes to retain firefighters, etc., can buy at cost – get some equity out of the house, way to retain workforce • Community land trust models – more potential for stepping stone for families wanting to buy – get some equity, 5 years on move on to market rate • Losing affordable housing faster than adding, quality is deteriorating • Code enforcement = code suggestion – if you don’t do these things nothing will happen – need properties to get restored to habitability • Look at subtractions from housing stock from street improvements, etc. • Greatest need is for low-income rental housing – 30% and lower o Balancing this greater need with other needs: homeownership, gentrification, elderly, disabled, homeless, economic development, etc. • Got scattered housing because of brave leadership who said we no longer want these 300 unit low income housing, rather see scattered smaller units • Low unemployment, but a lot of created jobs pay less than $15K annually • Career path for fixing deteriorated houses

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