Housing GSO: HRA Greensboro Affordable Housing Plan

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

NOTES | Community Engagement Meetings

October 16, 2019 Meeting with Sharon Hightower, City Council District 1

• All of the areas are priorities in District 1 o She hears the greatest concern about Affordable Rental Housing, which is in line with Supportive Housing o Neighborhood Revitalization requires Affordable Homeownership • A big part of NOAH in East Greensboro is that affordable housing can offer a good quality of life • AREA ONE: AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING o Interested in finding flexibility so that there is more support for renters at 0-30% AMI who are flexible ▪

GHA should need to step in and provide some form of subsidy and support to offer security to the landlords (bring in models of this) ▪ One of ways to lower eviction rates in the City is to increase support for short-term rental assistance (rent bridges, etc.) ▪ The City is doing it at an emergency level, but we need to have program for these residents, they can apply for 3-6 months assistance

• Workforce development initiatives: how do we support workers who want to buy homes? • Additional struggle with neighborhood amenities in East Greensboro: loss of schools in the tornado —they’ve been fighting with th e superintendent for help. New schools are amenities needed for neighborhoods. • Thoughts on target neighborhoods o Dudley Heights: strong neighborhood association, but aging residents/opportunity for investors — repeated complaints of limited maintenance o She calls code enforcement everyday, largely because of absentee landlords who don’t educate tenants on maintenance of proper ties ▪ Landlords have to be part of the discussion on neighborhood revitalization o Benbow Park: larger homes with older, but more affluent residents who are older — might be better for a growing family — but with no school attached • Really big on community engagement and involvement — people will need to have had involvement in shaping the plan o Advisory committee may be councilmembers and residents, or open to the public, so they can reshape the plan o Plan as a guidebook for future action

HR&A Advisors, Inc.

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