Residents, housing providers, advocates, government officials, and the faith community are invited to a community forum to address critical low-barrier housing needs in Orange County.
Orange County and Alliance are pleased to be co-sponsoring a community forum to address critical low-barrier housing needs in Orange County. The event will offer a space for collaboration and dialogue to explore increasing housing solutions for individuals with specific barriers to housing access. While there are many urgent housing issues facing Orange County, including access to affordable housing and emergency shelter, this Forum is addressing low-barrier housing, which is defined as housing that provides immediate and easy access with a focus on harm reduction and support. It is designed to serve individuals with significant obstacles, including behavioral health concerns, reentry from incarceration or institutional settings, and homelessness.
This Forum follows the Countywide Assembly hosted by Orange County Justice United on November 18, 2024, where community members and leaders identified key priorities for 2025, including reentry housing. Orange County and Alliance Health are committed to seeking accessible housing solutions for individuals that need housing stabilization and/or ongoing support in housing to ensure their success in the community.
The forum will include information about low-barrier housing models, including a panel of providers and individuals with lived experience of housing barriers. The second hour will be dedicated to hearing from the community in small group sessions about priority populations, the critical supports individuals need, innovative programming and ideas, and what success looks like. There will also be a survey available to submit online or in person.
- Date: Saturday, January 25th
- Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Location: Donna Baker BOCC Meeting Room, Whitted Human Services Center, 300 W. Tryon Street, Hillsborough
- Refreshments: Coffee, drinks, and snacks
- The event will be available for viewing on Facebook Live at OCNCGov.
- To request interpretation for this event, contact us by January 23 at webadmin@orangecountync.gov or at 919-245-2322.
Following the Forum, the County Manager’s Work Group will begin meeting monthly to identify opportunities, collaborations and recommendations for increasing low-barrier housing. While we recognize the scope of the Forum and Work Group is narrow, we believe it is a critical housing conversation to the community and we invite everyone interested to join us in-person or online on Saturday, January 25th.
About the Work Group
The workgroup will include leaders in housing, public health, equity, and justice, including:
- Blake Rosser, Orange County Housing Director
- Danielle Butler, Orange County Homeless Programs Manager
- Ben Gear, Orange County Local Reentry Council Coordinator
- Cy Stober, Orange County Planning and Inspections Director
- Paul Slack, Orange County Office of Equity and Inclusion Chief
- Caitlin Fenhagen, Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department Director
- Henry (“Tommy”) Green, Orange County Community Health Worker, FIT Program
- Ann Oshel, Alliance Health Senior V.P. for Community Health and Well-Being
- Sarah Vinas, Chapel Hill Affordable Housing and Community Connections Director
- Ann-Marie Vanaman, Carrboro Housing and Community Services Director
- Matt Effird, Hillsborough Assistant Town Manager and Community Services Director
This collaboration underscores Orange County’s commitment to addressing systemic housing challenges and creating sustainable solutions for all residents.