Thursday, October 26, 2023
2023 Housing Summit Event Information

Session #1 – Community-based Housing Development

Speakers will share information and insights into affordable housing efforts that are planned and led by community residents and community-based organizations. These efforts have included neighborhood-based partnerships, faith-based initiatives, and community-owned real estate models.

• “Community Land Trust – A Shared Equity Model for Affordable Homeownership” – Eunika Smalls, Assistant Director of Housing & Neighborhood Development, City of Greensboro

Many communities across America are experiencing unprecedented levels of a lack of viable options for affordable homeownership. Greensboro has begun the planning process to create a Community Land Trust as an option for sustainable affordable housing units and the status of this initiative and why it is being proposed will be discussed.

• “Bending the Market Toward Justice: Black community-run landbank & community-led strategies turn the tide of gentrification” – Hudson Vaughan, Consultant & Advocate of Affordable Housing

The Black population in Northside was cut in half between 1990-2010, with the growth of college students in the neighborhood nearly matching the exodus of Black owners one-to-one. In the last dozen years, the Northside organizing, community planning, and housing efforts have turned the tide of gentrification and “studentification,” halting the rapid demographic trends and bending our housing market toward justice. This presentation will highlight the neighbor-led strategies, including a community-run landbank, that have been central to this transformation.

• “Building Partnerships” – Rev. Beth McKee Huger, Interfaith Housing Coalition Member & Housing Advocate

Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit has always longed to build homes on its 11-acre property but did not have street access to the buildable section. Mills Construction Company purchased the adjacent 11 acres to build apartments. In this partnership, Holy Spirit engages community relationships to encourage neighborhood welcome and support for Mills’ tax credit development. Construction has begun on the first property and plans are underway for the additional apartments on church land.

• “King’s Ridge: Community-Funded Affordable Housing” – Amanda Barbee, Real Estate Developer, CASA Raleigh

King’s Ridge is a 100-unit permanent supportive housing development currently under construction in Raleigh, NC. The project began as the dream of a handful of community members that, years later, became a reality. The development, which is financed almost entirely through community funding, is an example of what the affordable housing industry can do with the support of the local community.

Session #2 – Preserving Diverse Affordable Housing

In this session, speakers will describe current and emerging efforts to preserve our diverse but endangered supply of both publicly supported and privately owned and managed affordable housing units.

• “Emerging Housing Repair Partnership” – Cynthia “Cyndi” Blue, Assistant Director of Housing & Strategy, City of Greensboro Housing & Neighborhood Development Department

The Housing Repair Program Partnership builds on the collective efforts and learned partnerships between housing repair agencies in response to the 2018 East Greensboro tornado. Differing funding streams and program requirements create difficulties for client navigation and the referral process between agencies. The City’s new Home Repair program was developed to work in conjunction with energy efficiency, home accessibility modification, and housing repair programs offered by our partner agencies. By bringing the agencies together to create a collaborative application process, we can streamline access to services and make sure that applicants are directed to the most applicable resources.

• “Affordable Housing Preservation Activities in High Point, NC – OIAM, CTP, and Proactive Code Enforcement” – Don McKnight, Assistant Director of Community Development & Housing, City of High Point

Through housing repair programs and efforts, the City of High Point can accomplish preservation of affordable housing. Programs such as the Construction Training Program (CTP) and Operation Inasmuch (OIAM) provide homeowners the opportunity to get needed repairs and remain in their homes. When homeowners are unable to make repairs, there is the threat of them having to vacate their homes or live in conditions that are unhealthy and unsafe. Therefore, the City’s approach to the preservation of the existing affordable housing stock is critical in meeting the housing needs in the community.

• “Duke Energy High Energy Usage Assistance Program” – Randy Honeycutt, Senior Solution Developer, Duke Energy | Michael L. Praylor, General Contractor & Executive Director, Empowerment Headquarters CDC

The High-Energy Use Pilot will install deep home retrofits at no cost to the customers with the aim of reducing energy bills for individual customers in DEC. This pilot will target high electricity, low-income, DEC customers who are homeowners or renters in Mecklenburg, Forsyth, and Guilford counties.

• “Greensboro Housing Authority Housing Preservation Initiatives” – Jaymar Joseph, Vice President of Real Estate Development and Construction Division, Greensboro Housing Authority

Greensboro Housing Authority will share efforts underway to upgrade or replace their inventory of subsidized housing units.

Lunch Session – Greensboro Housing Coalition Overview

Brief overview of GHC’s current programs and services, and the organization’s vision for leading affordable housing advocacy within Guilford County – GHC staff

Session #3 – Expanding Housing Options

Expanding the supply of affordable housing units will require new housing product types, creative financing models, and regulatory changes. Speakers shared efforts underway locally to facilitate these changes.

• “Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) and Regulatory Options to Facilitate Affordable Housing Development” – Chris Andrews, Greensboro Planning Department

An abundance of attainable housing is a City of Greensboro City Council priority. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) can play a part in working toward achieving that priority. The City of Greensboro is in the process of amending their ADU standards. Attendees will learn about the city’s considerations and process to date, as well as some of the approaches that municipalities around the country have used to limit barriers to the building of ADUs.

• “Duplexes, Twin-homes & Other Housing Options” – Jeremy Simpson, Executive Director, The Housing Tree

This presentation centers on innovative strategies to expand affordable housing options. I’ll delve into the concept of small multifamily properties to both provide affordable homes and generate rental income. This approach, alongside creative financing models and regulatory adjustments, forms a comprehensive solution to address housing affordability challenges.

• “Greensboro Housing Loan Fund – Gap Financing for Affordable Housing” – Kevin J. Price, President and CEO, National Institute of Minority Economic Development

An Affordable Housing Loan Fund leverages the community’s philanthropic and/or public funds with low-cost, long-term funds from local and regional banks, employers, and other partners to support the preservation and creation of affordable housing. This presentation will focus on gaps in affordable housing capital and how a fund may close them.