The Severe Housing Problems Work Group prioritized the following policies for action planning. Work group members engaged in thorough discussions with considerations of existing plans and resources and review of research on housing needs, burdens, and efforts to increase access to safe, affordable, quality housing opportunities.

• Increase measures and funding to provide tenants with access to mediation, legal representation, and legal education to secure and protect housing
• Remove legal barriers, institute enabling legislation, and facilitate lending to promote Community Land Trusts and other shared equity models of homeownership
• Simplify and expand the Weatherization Assistance Program, Low-Income Energy Assistance Programs, and other healthy homes and utility assistance programs by affirmatively engaging low-income communities through targeted outreach to help families meet their energy needs
• Support funding, loans, and other resources for housing providers in agricultural areas to improve safe and healthy home environments for migrant workers
• Support programs designed to increase home ownership for historically disenfranchised communities

The Severe Housing Problems Work Group identified the following for action planning and next steps.

• Engage identified organizations in policy, workgroup convening or with other organization (NC Housing/ NCHFA Annual Conference, Homeless Conference- May
• Affirmatively furthering fair housing- comments periods
• Advocacy groups to help to initiate/ deliver the prioritized policies; legislative liaisons
• Open discussion item: Manufactured/mobile homes- getting expertise to move forward
• More education and awareness on migrant housing
• Explore if there are other organizations that could help, related to purchasing homes, legal issues, community resources; getting information for each locality about resources available; after explore, identify how to utilize those relationships- who contacting and why

June 27, 2023, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leaders: Stephen Sills and Pat Macfoy

Attendees: Bill Rowe, Brian O’Donnell, Josh Walker, Lea Henry, Stefanie Ledwell

Discussion:

• Reviewed the draft pages for Severe Housing Problems for the 2023 NC SHIP report. Discussed why the priorities were important, additional readings/listenings, and additional partners that could help with this work.
• Identified new Organization Co-Lead, Lea Henry, and DHHS Co-Lead, Josh Walker. Pat Macfoy will continue as the Community Co-Lead.
• Confirmed continuing work group members and discussed recommendations for additional partners, especially from rural areas. The work group will continue to add people strategically. Recommendations included:
  • Carolinas Council of Housing Redevelopment & Codes Officials
  • Council of Governments (COGs)- those active in rural space
  • Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments
  • The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina- Affordable Housing
  • Hinton Rural Life Center, Clay County
  • LISC Charlotte
  • MDC
  • NC Association of Realtors/ NC Realtors
  • NC DOA (North Carolina Department of Administration) Indian Affairs
  • Rural Center

April 25, 2023, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Stephen Sills; Absent: Pat Macfoy and Sam Hedrick

Attendees: Bill Rowe, Brad Owen, Brian O’Donnell, Lea Henry, and Stefanie Ledwell

Discussion:

• Conducted a straw poll on work group members' willingness to continue after June.
• Identified other organizations that could help the work group to be more representative of the issues across the state related to severe housing problems and impacting policy.
• Discussed topics for a potential panel session at a conference in early October 2023.
• Identified next steps were to:
  • Create and share a spreadsheet with organizations and contacts discussed.
  • Add contact information to the organization spreadsheet.
  • Share if willing to co-lead this work group.
  • Ask the conference team about having a session.
  • Contact absent work group members to ask if they are willing to continue with the work group.

February 28, 2023, 4:30 to 6:00 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Macfoy, Sam Hedrick, and Stephen Sills

Attendees: Brad Owen, Brian O’Donnell, Ken Edminster, Stefanie Ledwell, and Stephanie Williams

Discussion:

• Discussed and revised the prioritized policies. Ranked the revised policies from most to least important/ difficult:

1. Support programs designed to increase home ownership for historically disenfranchised communities.
2. Increase measures and funding to provide tenants with access to mediation, legal representation, and legal education to secure and protect housing.
3. Remove legal barriers, institute enabling legislation, and facilitate lending to promote Community Land Trusts and other shared equity models of homeownership.
4. Support funding, loans, and other resources for housing providers in agricultural areas to improve safe and healthy home environments for migrant workers.
5. Simplify and expand Weatherization Assistance Program, Low-Income Energy Assistance Programs, and other healthy homes and utility assistance programs by affirmatively engaging low-income communities through targeted outreach to help families meet their energy needs.
6. Tabled (more information needed): Consider regulatory change allowing mobile homes to be registered as real property (homes), not as personal property (vehicles)

• Brainstormed and compiled a list of assets and needs/ gaps for each of the prioritized policies.
• Began action planning and reviewed next steps.
  • Engage identified organizations in policy, workgroup convening or with other organization (NC Housing/ NCHFA Annual Conference, Homeless Conference- May
  • Affirmatively furthering fair housing- comments periods
  • Advocacy groups to help to initiate/ deliver the prioritized policies; legislative liaisons
  • Open discussion item: Manufactured/mobile homes- getting expertise to move forward
  • More education and awareness on migrant housing
  • Explore if there are other organizations that could help, related to purchasing homes, legal issues, community resources; getting information for each locality about resources available; after explore, identify how to utilize those relationships- who contacting and why

January 3, 2023, 4:30 to 6:00 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Macfoy and Stephen Sills

Work Group Members Present: Antonio Blow, Bettie Teasley, Bill Rowe, Brian O’Donnell, and Stefanie Ledwell

Discussion:

• Reviewed, discussed, and revised the prioritized policies as follows:
  • Support funding/loans for housing providers in agricultural areas to improve safe and healthy home environments for migrant workers
  • Increase measures and funding to provide tenants with access to mediation, legal representation, and legal education to secure and protect housing
  • Simplify and expand Weatherization Assistance Program, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs, and other assistance programs from utility providers by affirmatively engaging low wealth communities through targeted outreach to help low-income families meet their energy needs
  • Support programs designed to increase home ownership for historically disenfranchised communities
  • Remove legal and other barriers, institute enabling legislation, and facilitate lending to promote Community Land Trusts and other shared equity models of homeownership
• Identified additional information was needed to for review and discussion of the following policy:
  • Consider regulatory change allowing mobile homes to be registered as real property (homes), not as personal property (vehicles)

November 29, 2022, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Macfoy and Stephen Sills

Work Group Members Present: Antonio Blow, Bill Rowe, and Stefanie Ledwell

Discussion:

• Reviewed the four policies prioritized during the previous work group meeting.
  • Consider regulatory change allowing mobile homes to be registered as real property (homes), not as personal property (vehicles)
  • Implement “right to counsel” measures to provide tenants with access to legal representation when facing landlords in court
  • Increase measures to provide tenants with access to legal representation when facing landlords in court
  • Institute community land trusts in which the community purchases the land a home is on to lease to homeowners with low and middle incomes and require homeowners to sell the home back to the trust or to another resident with low income upon moving
• Reviewed and discussed the following proposed policies not reviewed at the previous meeting. All work group members present were in favor of prioritizing the four policies reviewed and discussed during the meeting. The work group prioritized a total of eight policies.
  • Promote the Weatherization Assistance Program and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs to help low-income families meet their energy needs
  • Support programs designed to increase home ownership for people of color
  • Update housing standards for agriculture workplace housing (H2A housing), as regulated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Update the Migrant Housing Act of North Carolina to promote safe and healthy home environments for migrant workers
• Identified next steps of refining the list of prioritized policies, using the lead/partner/support model to determine strategies for action planning, and aligning with other work and proposing new work as needed.

October 25, 2022, 4:30 to 4:50 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Macfoy and Stephanie Williams; Stephen Sill (Absent)

Work Group Members Present: None

Discussion:

• Reviewed responsibilities of community co-lead.
• Planned for rescheduling this work group meeting in November. The new meeting date is to be determined.

August 30, 2022, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, Work Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Macfoy, Stephen Sill, and Stephanie Williams

Work Group Members Present: Antonio Blow, Jennifer Olson, and Stefanie Ledwell

Discussion:

• Dr. Sills provided context around housing and health based on the following research: 
  • Affordable and Healthy Homes in North Carolina
  • The Status and Impact of Severe Housing Problems and Evictions in North Carolina
  • Affordable & Workforce Housing: A Public Opinion Study for New Hanover County & The City of Wilmington
  • Policy Agenda – Increase Affordable, Fair, & Healthy Housing Options
• Reviewed and discussed the proposed policy initiatives for Indicator 9: Severe Housing Problems. Prioritized 4 policies, deferred 4 policies already addressed in the Strategic Housing Plan and/or the Olmstead Plan, and 4 policies will be reviewed later.
• Identified other partners to invite to be involved with the work group to address the prioritized policies and who would contact them.
• Set meeting schedule for the 4th Tuesday of every other month from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The next meeting will be on October 25, 2022. 

August 26, 2022, 11:00 to 12:00 pm, Co-Lead Planning Meeting

Co-Leads: Pat Mcfoy, Stephen Sill, and Stephanie Williams

Discussion: 

• Set agenda for first work group meeting on August 30, 2022.  An overview of the NC SHIP Community Council will be provided. Dr. Sills will provide context around Housing & Health based on some of the research he has completed. The proposed policy initiatives for Indicator 9: Severe Housing Problems will be reviewed and prioritized.