At the October 7 Board of Commissioners meeting, staff from the county’s Planning and Land Use team presented information about the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Workforce Housing Services program. They reviewed the applications that were submitted, went over the vetting process that helped determine which programs would have the most impact, and outlined how the $3 million allocated for this year’s installment of the program would be divvied out, pending approval by the Commissioners. 

Over the course of that conversation, I began to think about this program and all the other initiatives the county has overseen in recent years to address affordable housing and support the unsheltered in our community. I quickly came to realize that the list was a bit more than I could quickly recap off the top of my head, so I asked our staff to look back and summarize all that our Commissioners have committed to undertaking in the last 10 years.  

To be honest, even I wasn’t fully prepared for what they came up with. And for that, I’m thankful. 

In the last decade, New Hanover County has provided or administered $80,125,598 in funding to support affordable housing and homeless-related endeavors in our community. 
That number does not include the Commissioners’ remaining commitment to fund the Workforce Housing Services program for five years, pledging no less than $15 million in total. That program still has two years left on that original commitment, meaning at least $6 million is guaranteed to be provided over the next two fiscal years. 

Calling that a significant investment might be an understatement. It’s a promise from our Commissioners, backed by financial support, to address affordability and housing insecurity in our community. 

When the American Rescue Plan and CARES ACT were passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff worked quickly to develop a framework for how those funds could best support our residents. Between those two sources, more than $11 million was allotted for programs that funded housing related projects. This included building infrastructure, mortgage and rental assistance, and supplemental funding to help create affordable housing units. 

Additionally, during this time, there was more than $28 million in federal funds that the county oversaw administration of as part of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which provided nearly 3,900 households with rent and utility support. 

The county’s general fund has also been used for more than $12 million in funding to support a variety of programs aimed at addressing these issues. Included in those are two years of the Workforce Housing Program, the ongoing Teacher Rental Assistance Program, and non-profit funding requests. 

Along with direct support for housing, the county has allocated more than $28.5 million in supplementary funding to help keep residents safe and supported. This includes the Healing Place, the soon-to-begin-construction Stabilization and Re-Entry Center (STAR) and additional non-profit funding. 

Combined, these programs have had a tremendous impact. 

In total, this support has helped fund 1,049 affordable housing units, which will fill a much-needed gap in our community. 

It has helped 4,469 households in our county pay their rent, mortgage or utility bills at a time when they faced uncertainty. 

It has created space and services for unsheltered populations, including 31 tiny homes in Eden Village, the bin den storage program, and staff members who have a sole focus on helping connect those in need with resources. 

It has given more than $4.7 million to our non-profit community partners to bolster the work they are tirelessly undertaking in this place we call home. 

There’s so much more that could be noted and it’s truly impossible to completely encapsulate all that has been and will be accomplished because of this funding. The sum total is truly difficult to comprehend.

As we transition to a season of thankfulness, I’m thankful to work with Commissioners, both past and present, who see the needs of our community and are prepared to address them. I’m grateful for a county team that looks for innovative solutions that truly address the issue. I’m honored to work alongside community partners who come to the table with well-thought plans and achievable goals. 

The work is ongoing, and the scope is wide-ranging, but together we are making a difference. And for that I am truly grateful.