Past Newsletters
Dear Subscriber,
If you’re reading this newsletter, it’s because you care about housing affordability for one reason or another.
- Maybe you currently live in an affordable home – CHT or otherwise – or you or someone you care about has in the past.
- Maybe you have neighbors who are CHT homeowners.
- Maybe you’re an employer looking for ways to support your staff in living close to where they work.
- Maybe you’re a teacher who sees the impact on their students when finances are stressful at home.
- Maybe you have lived in a community where growth and wealth have outpaced affordability and forced people from their homes.
- Or maybe you’re dreaming of becoming a homeowner someday but just can’t imagine how you’ll ever be able to afford it.
There are so many ways for you to share why housing affordability matters to you – and it is so important for you to use your voice to do so!
Too often, the voices of those with lived experience of our country’s housing crisis – like all those experiences I described above – get drowned out by the voices of just a few people who have more time, capacity, and resources to share their opinions. But it’s a lot easier than many people imagine to share your thoughts and stories about housing affordability. Here are just a few ideas:
- You can send an email to elected officials, thanking them for their work to make our community an affordable place for everyone to call home. In Chapel Hill, send an email to mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org or find individual Council members’ email addresses here. In Carrboro, you can contact Town Council at council@carrboronc.gov and can find individual Council members’ emails here. You can email the Orange County Board of Commissioners at ocbocc@orangecountync.gov and can find individual Commissioners’ email addresses here. You can also drop a letter in the mail to any of these entities if you’d prefer.
- Our town councils also meet several times every month. Did you know that any community member can speak for three minutes at the start of any Council meeting about any issue they’d like? This is a great opportunity to address the officials you elected and let them know why you care about housing affordability. It’s a great time to thank them for their work.
- If you live in Durham or other local jurisdictions, there are similar opportunities to address your local government officials. I’m happy to help you find those opportunities if you reply to this email and let me know you’re looking for them.
- Once in a while, there’s a special opportunity to add your voice to the conversation: when the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition, of which CHT is a member, is organizing an event, for example. If you want to make sure you don’t miss alerts to those opportunities, just send me reply to this email and we’ll get you added to our alert list.
- Finally, if you have a story to share about why housing affordability matters to you, we’d love to consider whether it might be a good fit for our blog. If you’re interested in writing a post, know someone who might be, or want to be interviewed to share your story, just reply to this email and let me know. We’d love to see if your idea is a good fit!
Thanks, as always, for your partnership!
Kimberly Sanchez, Executive Director
Development Updates
As we shared last month, one of the inclusionary zoning projects in progress in Chapel Hill right now is Bridgepoint, a KB Home community in which we will have five brand-new townhomes when the neighborhood is complete.
Information about Bridgepoint is now available on our website, and we’ll continue to update that page as work continues at the site. We’ve also launched a blog series about how a house in Bridgepoint becomes a CHT home. You can read the first post in the series here.
If you are interested in purchasing a home in Bridgepoint from CHT, it’s important to apply to our program as soon as possible. We will not have a separate application process for Bridgepoint, and CHT sales will not be handled through KB Home. As with all our other home sales, our Bridgepoint homes will be sold to applicants already on our CHT applicant list.
Durham DPA Lender Update
The City of Durham is making significant changes to the program guidelines for the Durham Down Payment Assistance Program, and they have some important updates to share with lenders who want to work with the program.
Lenders, whether you have attended another Durham DPA information session or not, please make plans to attend this Zoom session on 3/20 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Registration is required.
Please note: the information provided during this session will be targeted to lenders specifically and will not be helpful for applicants. If you are an applicant with questions about the program, please contact Deputy Director Caroline Veloso Karras at cvkarras@communityhometrust.org or 919.967.1545 x309 (English and Spanish available). Translation services can be arranged for other languages.
Free OTC Medicine Giveaway
NC Med Assist will be hosting a free OTC medicine giveaway on 3/17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Passmore Center (103 Meadowlands Drive, Hillsborough). Free OTC medicine items include cold, cough, flu, pain relief, vitamins, and children’s medicines. No appointment or preregistration is required, but if you want to request specific medications, you can preorder online.
The event is open to all NC residents, and no income requirements or ID is required. Must be 18 years or older.
Stop By to Say Hi at UNC!
On March 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we will have a table at the UNC Total Wellbeing Expo, an event for Carolina employees being held at Fetzer Hall. If you are a Carolina employee and attend the event, be sure to stop by our table and say hi!
Hop on the Bus!
Join us for a free bus tour of some of the neighborhoods where CHT residents live. This tour is open to anyone who wants to learn more about what it means to be a CHT home. The first tour will be on March 23 from 3 to 5 p.m. Registration is required and space is very limited, so sign up today!
Thanks to Love Chapel Hill for providing the bus and driver for our tour!
Lunch and Learn
If you want to learn more about Community Home Trust and our land trust model in a casual setting, this is the place for you! Join us for free coffee and bagels at a lunch and learn session in our office — or join via Zoom. Our first session will be held on March 20 at 11:30 a.m.
Registration is required and is now open.
Upcoming Education Opportunities
CHT Orientation: Everyone is welcome to attend this in-depth introduction to our program in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Conducted via Zoom. Next session: March 15, 6 p.m. Register here.
Homebuyer Education: This 8-hour class is offered in-person in our office (105 Conner Drive, Suite 1000, Chapel Hill) and gives potential buyers the tools to navigate the home-buying process. Completion of this class is a requirement of the program and most lenders, and attendance for the whole session is required to receive the certificate. This class is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Next session: June 3, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Supplemental live sessions are also available for those who have attended an online program. Contact Program Coordinator Deja Gilmore at dgilmore@communityhometrust.org for details and to register.
Home Maintenance: Open to CHT homeowners only and conducted via Zoom. Discuss the major systems of a home, typical maintenance, troubleshooting, and potential expenses. This also is an opportunity to review the CHT Stewardship program. Contact Property Manager Ian Morse at imorse@communityhometrust.org for more information and to register.
Durham DPA Program Lender Update: The City of Durham is making significant changes to the program guidelines for the Durham Down Payment Assistance Program, and they have some important updates to share with lenders who want to work with the program. Lenders, please make plans to attend this Zoom session on 3/20 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Register here.
Recommended Reading
“How Much Do You Know About Homelessness In America?” Housing Matters [online quiz].
“Bill would limit corporate landlord homes in Charlotte, the Triangle and more of NC,” Tyler Dukes, News and Observer, 2/23/23.
“Durham’s Self Help Aims For Affordable Home Ownership ,” Chapelboro, 2/16/23.
