Roxboro awarded $3 million to address housing insecurity
Roxboro will be constructing a new apartment complex to provide housing to those who need it and address the state's affordable housing crisis.
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency approved $6.7 million in funding for the development of a rental community and non-congregate shelter development for North Carolinians with special housing needs. This is in addition to $43 million approved by the agency in 2023 for a dozen rental communities.
The agency awarded this funding through its Supportive Housing American Rescue Plan (SHARP) program to provide shelter, permanent housing and services to individuals experiencing homelessness and other housing insecurity.
“We're focused primarily in those rural areas that don't often have access to a lot of state and federal dollars,” said Scott Farmer, the agency’s executive director. “We were excited to see that we are going to places like Roxboro, [where] typically, [funding] wouldn't be available, because they don't have other resources to bring to bear.”
Farmer said the agency received about 16 to 18 applications. It was able to fund 14 of them so far, including projects in Robeson, Cumberland and Lee counties. He’s hopeful that one more project will also be funded through the program.
“One of the first things that all of these developers and project sponsors will need to do is they have to complete an environmental review process required with all federal funding. We’ll help them through that process. They also have to meet some other rules, in terms of income requirements for folks moving into the property,” he said.
What is a non-congregate shelter?
Non-congregate shelters provide temporary housing for vulnerable populations. NC's non-congregate shelter program began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a non-congregate shelter is defined as one or more buildings that serve the following purposes:
- Provide private units or rooms for temporary shelter
- Serve individuals and families that meet one or more of the qualifying populations
- Do not require occupants to sign a lease or occupancy agreement
To qualify, HUD said you must be part of one of the following groups:
- Homeless
- At risk of homelessness
- Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking
- Other
- Families requiring services or housing assistance to prevent homelessness
- Those at greatest risk of housing instability
Occupants of a non-congregate shelter cannot be charged for housing unless the participating jurisdiction deems it reasonable, the department said.
"The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is committed to supporting our state’s most vulnerable citizens," said Scott Farmer, the agency’s executive director. "We are proud to create programs and provide funding that will establish safe and affordable housing in communities statewide that can connect people with limited options to the services they need to lead happy, successful lives."
The two additional developments awarded funding are:
- Roxboro Village Supportive Housing Complex in Roxboro, sponsored by the Roxboro Community Redevelopment Corporation, will construct a single-story, 13-unit non-congregate shelter development with eight one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom units. The property will be located just one mile from downtown Roxboro.
- Rockspring-Powell Place in Henderson, sponsored by the Vance County Housing Authority, will provide 10 two-bedroom single family homes in two locations. Services will be available less than one mile from both sites.
“One of the biggest needs we have here is affordable housing for people who want to move up from a shelter,” Jane King said. “Just because you got a job, making $11-12 an hour, doesn't mean you can pay a deposit.”
King is the co-chair of the board of directors for Community Partners of Hope. The nonprofit runs the Henderson-Vance Men’s shelter. It’s currently in the process of renovating a nearby church in order to be able to offer more beds and resources for people experiencing homelessness. However, there’s still more work to do to address the issue in the community.
“We’ve had to turn people away on a regular basis,” King said.
Bonita Hawkins is the executive director of the Vance County Housing Authority. She said she was pleasantly surprised to be awarded the funding for the project after spending several months applying for it.
“This is a great thing for Vance County,” Hawkins said. “It's an opportunity to bring more stable housing to the community.”
Hawkins said she expects it to take at least nine to 12 months to complete the development. It will get started once her and her colleagues have completed the necessary training.
“We have to get through these training processes about what we can do, what can't do, what we must do. Once we get through those training processes, then we'll have more information about when we can get started,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said tenants will have to pay rent based on their income.
King said she believes this project will be a more permanent solution to the growing issues with housing insecurity and homelessness.
“People have the image of homeless people as drug users, lazy. It's really not accurate. A lot of the men that we've had are well-educated, there's been a life change...Suddenly, they're out on the street,” King said.
For more information about the SHARP program, go to nchfa.com.
