Housing & Community Development

"Housing and Community Development”

LOSRC staff assist our local governments in providing affordable, decent and safe housing and related infrastructure improvements for residents of Region B. 

Grant applications are prepared on behalf of local governments for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) through North Carolina Dept. of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance; Single Family Rehabilitation (SFR) Grants, Urgent Repair Program (URP), through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA); and Housing Preservation Grants (HPG) through the United States Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. 

These grants are income-dependent and are designed to assist low-income families and the elderly.  Once funded, LOSRC Housing & Community Development staff administers these grants to rehabilitate or replace the aging housing stock in our four counties.

PHOTOS:  ‘before and after’ – Gunter house, Rosman (substantial rehab); Charlie Moore, Hot Springs (replacement)

Promoting quality affordable housing development in Western North Carolina by:

●  Working with local governments and other non-profit organizations to identify housing needs
●  Recruiting developers to develop affordable housing in our 31-county service area
●  Serving as a liaison between developers and local government officials and staff
●  Preparing grant applications
●  Serving as a liaison between local, state and federal governments
●  Developing service packages to link to housing
●  Working closely with management companies to implement services and to market developments
●  Disseminating information regarding developing affordable housing to individuals and non-profits
●  Educating the public and elected officials about affordable housing
●  Providing technical assistance grant money to our regions to encourage and assist with efforts to identify needs and to develop affordable housing; and
●  Working closely with local social service providers to coordinate services for residents.

Straightpipe and septic repair

Straight piping is the illegal practice of wastewater from homes being piped directly to a creek, stream or onto land without treatment. This introduces disease-causing organisms to streams, creating a public health and environmental threat, while burdening water treatment plants and hurting recreation and tourism. 

Land-of-Sky Regional Council Program Description

To be eligible for the Land-of-Sky Regional Council Straight Pipe Elimination and Sewer Line Repair Program:

●  Property must be owner occupied.

●  Household income must be at or below 115% of HUD MSA Income Limits. (Copy of Income Limits is attached to Program Guidelines).

●  Maximum Forgivable Deferred Loan amount is $4,000 per household. (Household income between 80% to 115% MSA)

●  Maximum grant is $4,000 per household. (Household income at or below 80% MSA)

A Deferred Forgivable Loan is forgiven at the end of 5 years after the completion of work.

A Deferred Forgivable Loan is proportionally forgiven over an applicable term of recapture.  If the home is sold or the recipient no longer occupies the home, such as going into a nursing home or death during the recapture term, then the remaining portion of the loan must be recaptured or repaid.

Deferred Forgivable Loan Recapture Schedule (If Property is sold or recipient no longer occupies home)

Year 1   20% forgiven  80% recaptured
Year 2   40% forgiven  60% recaptured
Year 3   60% forgiven  40% recaptured
Year 4   80% forgiven  20% recaptured
Year 5   100% forgiven 

Key Participants:

LOSRC Staff, N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resource’s Wastewater Discharge Elimination Program, N.C. Rural Communities Assistance Project, United States Department of Agriculture, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the N.C. Dept. of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance, N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and the Western North Carolina Housing Partnership.

karen@landofsky.org

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