The Orange County Housing and Community Development Department, with support from The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro and the Big Bold Ideas Committee on Housing, hosted a free, virtual information session for Orange County landlords and property managers on Feb. 23.
Emila Sutton, Director of Orange County Housing & Community Development, and her staff led a discussion on:
The Orange County Landlord Incentive Program and the Housing Choice Voucher Program. In July 2020, the Orange County Housing and Community Development Department kicked off an innovative incentive program. The program offers landlords a leasing bonus of up to $1,000 when they sign a new lease with any participating program, including Orange County Housing Choice Voucher, Rapid Re-housing, and Local Reentry Council. To date, 80 new leases have been signed through the program.
The Department's services and programs. In partnership with the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, the Emergency Housing Assistance program provides an alternative to costly evictions and can help landlords recoup lost rental income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program can help Orange County tenants with rent arrears and future payments, security deposits, application fees and utilities. Over 200 landlords participated in the program in 2020 and received almost $1.5 million in direct funds.
The 2020 Landlords and Property Managers of the Year were recognized for their exceptional contributions and partnership.
- Acorn + Oak Property Management
- Bella Rose Realty
- Community Home Trust
- EmPOWERment, Inc.
- Ramarge Real Estate Investments
“The Chamber and the Big Bold Ideas Committee on Housing are proud to partner with Orange County and OCHCD to recognize leaders and promote strategies for growing the local supply of affordable housing,” said Chamber President and CEO Aaron Nelson. “In particular, the Housing Choice Voucher program fills a critical housing need and provides many tangible benefits for property owners and managers.”
“Access to safe, affordable housing is strongly linked to improved health outcomes and decreased health care costs.” said Sutton. “We are thrilled to have partnered with over 250 landlords in 2020 to provide Orange County’s residents with housing at a time when stable housing is so vital in reducing the spread of Covid-19. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnerships with landlords in the years to come.”