Title
Approval of the Five-Year Orange County Consolidated Plan and FY 25-26 HOME Annual Action Plan
PURPOSE: To consider approving the 2025-2029 Orange County Consolidated Plan and FY 2025-2026 HOME Annual Action Plan.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Housing and Community Services
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate _X___ Comprehensive Plan ____Other
Council Direction Statement
Chapter 3. Strategy 4.1A - Continue to provide home repair grants to income-eligible and aging in place households.
Chapter 3. Strategy 5.3 - Prevent homelessness.
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Information
INFORMATION:
Consolidated Plan
A Five-Year Consolidated Plan for housing and community development programs in Orange County is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Orange County HOME Consortium to receive HOME funds. The Orange County HOME Consortium (also known as the Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative) is comprised of representatives from the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Orange County. Council Member Jason Merrill is the Town of Carrboro representative on the Collaborative.
The 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan must assess the housing and community development needs of the jurisdiction, analyze market conditions, and provide a strategic plan that identifies priority needs, associated goals, and anticipated allocations of federal and other funds. The development process of the Consolidated Plan was conducted through public meetings, stakeholder interviews, resident surveys, statistical analysis, and a review of the prior community development plans.
The Consolidated Plan must be approved by all jurisdictions prior to submission to HUD. A summary and the full Consolidated Plan are provided in Attachments D and E respectively.
Annual Action Plan
Every year, Orange County is required to submit an annual plan for the use of HOME funds that outlines how they will be allocated for the upcoming program year and address the goals and priorities in the Consolidated Plan. The FY 2025-2026 Annual Action Plan was completed based on the HOME award recommendations made by the Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative, detailed in the section below. All participating jurisdictions must approve and authorize submission of the plan prior to submittal to HUD. The FY 2025-2026 HOME Annual Action Plan is included as Attachment F.
For FY 2025-2026, Orange County anticipates receiving the following HOME resources:
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FY 2025-2026 HOME Funds |
$ 375,939.67 |
|
HOME Program Income |
$ 13,306.00 |
|
Total |
$ 389,245.67 |
The above amounts are estimates and may be adjusted according to the actual allocation received from HUD.
On April 24, 2025, the Collaborative decided to forego project applications for HOME funds and to instead dedicate funding to Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and County-wide repair and rehab programs. The decision was made due to the uncertainty of future federal funding and in response to public feedback received during the Consolidated Plan outreach. Feedback had elevated rental assistance and support for home repairs as priorities. On June 9, 2025, the Collaborative made the following funding plan recommendations for consideration by each of the jurisdictions’ elected bodies:
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OCCD - Repair and Rehabilitation |
$ 147,628.00 |
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OCPEH - Tenant-Based Rental Assistance |
$ 147,628.00 |
|
EmPOWERment - CHDO set-aside |
$ 56,395.70 |
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Administration (10% of HOME funds, per statute) |
$ 37,593.97 |
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Total |
$ 389,245.67 |
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: The Orange County HOME Consortium leverages resources, including private, state, and local funds, to fulfill and enhance the impact of federal HOME funds. For Fiscal Year 2025-2026, the HUD-required Local Match contribution is $84,587.00. Each jurisdiction’s contribution of the local match is based on its population. The Town of Carrboro’s contribution to the matching funds is 15% of the total match, or $12,688.00, and is included in the Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund budget.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Council: (1) approve the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan for Orange County for submission to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A resolution is provided as Attachment A; (2) approve the plan developed by the Orange County HOME Consortium for use of $ 389,245.67 of FY 2025-2026 Orange County HOME Program funds; and (3) authorize this plan to be incorporated into the FY 2025-2026 Annual Action Plan and the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan for Orange County for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A resolution is provided as Attachment B.
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