If you are interested in posting a housing-related event or announcement on our website, please contact us. 

Please click here if you are interested in Housing Jobs. 

Training Opportunity - Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Property Managers 101

This workshop will focus on the rights and responsibilities of landlords and property managers under Fair Housing laws, including Reasonable Accommodations, and NC Landlord-Tenant Law. Certificates of attendance are available.

• Wednesday, March 24, 2010
  9:00 - 12:30
  Training Room B at the New Hanover County Complex
  230 Government Center Drive
  Wilmington, NC 28403

For more information and to register, please click here.

Training Opportunity - Rights and Responsibilities of Tenants and Self-Advocates

This workshop will focus on the rights and responsibilities of tenants, self-advocates, and service providers under Fair Housing laws, including Reasonable Accommodations, and NC Landlord-Tenant Law.

• Wednesday, March 31, 2010
  9:00 - 12:30
  The Durham Center 
  501 Willard Street
  Durham, NC 27701

This workshop is designed for tenants, self-advocates, and service providers. Certificates of attendance are not available.

For more information and to register, please click here.

Regional Asset Building and Family Economic Security Forum

The North Carolina Housing Coalition and the North Carolina Assets Alliance cordially invite you to a Regional Asset Building and Family Economic Security Forum.

• Charlotte - Friday, March 19th
  Time: 10am-2pm
  Location: Federal Reserve Bank
  530 East Trade Street
  Charlotte, NC 28202 

Join service providers, members of the business community, and civic leaders for a facilitated community conversation about asset building and family economic security in your community and in the state of North Carolina.

• Hear from experts on the work that is underway to improve the financial well-being of North Carolinians through asset-based strategies including entrepreneurship, housing, and financial education.

• Participate in a facilitated discussion about family and economic security, as well as the challenges and opportunities that exist for asset building in your community.

• Learn about current asset-building and affordable housing policy on the state and federal level and offer your suggestions on what should be included in the 2010 legislative priorities of the NC Assets Alliance and NC Housing Coalition.  

The event will include a presentation of newly released research and data including the recent NC Assets Alliance report "A Prosperity Grid for North Carolina: Connecting Households and Communities to Economic Opportunity," the CFED "2008-2009 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard," and data from Action for Children's N.C. Local Asset Poverty Index. 

Click here for more information and to register.

Mental Health, Developmental Disability, and Substance Abuse Services Town Hall Meetings 

Sponsored by The Coalition, 40 organizations advocating together to meet the needs of North Carolinians living with the developmental disabilities, the disease of addiction, & mental illness, will host a series of town hall meetings on MH, DD, & SA services across the state. These listening sessions will: 

• Provide a briefing on the current budget cuts and future budget outlook 
• Offer an opportunity to share your opinions about MHDDSA services and supports; in person, in writing, or online 
• Update you on how to make a difference on these issues

Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Guilford College, Dana Auditorium
5800 W. Friendly Ave
Greensboro

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Southern Regional Area Heath Education Center (SRAHEC)
1601 Owen Drive
Fayetteville

Monday, April 19, 2010
Mountain Area Heath Education Center (MAHEC),
501 Biltmore Ave
Asheville 

All meetings are from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

Doors will open at 6:00 PM

Housing Funds Available

The Western Carolina Community Action (WCCA) is administering two Housing Grants in Transylvania County. Grant funding is provided by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. Benchmark CMR Inc. is the administrative agent on both Programs for WCCA. Slots are currently available on a first come-first to qualify basis for both programs described below.  

• Single Family Rehabilitation - Housing Rehabilitation Assistance for Elderly and/or Disabled Home Owners 

This program is designed for conventional housing units (mobile homes are excluded) which are in fairly good condition. The purpose of the program is to bring the unit into compliance with current energy standards, dramatically reducing heating bills for owners. In addition, handicapped accessibility improvements are performed which will help insure continued occupancy of the unit as the occupant ages. Any structural issues with the house which deal with the integrity of the dwelling must also be addressed. Owners must have incomes at or below median income for Transylvania County. This would cover 90 percent of retired individuals or those who are living on disability. 

The cost of this work is in the form of a no payment, no interest loan to the owner which is forgiven at $3,000 per year. Expenditures are limited to $40,000 per dwelling. The loan is recorded by a Deed of Trust. 

• Urgent Repair Grants - For Elderly/ Disabled or Single Parent Household Home Owners

This program is limited to $5,000 per dwelling and is designed to assist with one or two of most pressing problems with the unit. New roofs, rotting floors in kitchen or bath, electrical issues, leaking water pipes, heating system problems are all representative of the type of work performed by this program. This work is done as a grant to the owner without the requirement of a formal loan and deed of trust. 

If you have a parishioner, neighbor, relative or know someone in need of housing assistance have them call 1-800-650-3925 and ask for Cindy Ramsey.  If we cannot utilized these funds which are designated to the citizens of Transylvania County the funds will revert back to the State of North Carolina.

Resident Scholarship Program Announced - Grant Awarded

Affordable Housing Management, Inc., (AHM) is pleased to announce the establishment of a Fifty Five Thousand Dollar ($55,000) Resident Scholarship Program to assist residents living in AHM owned apartment communities in Greensboro to enhance their adult education, career training and computer access and skills.  This will be a partnership effort that will serve as a gateway for economic, social and educational success for AHM residents.

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (CFGG) has awarded a Community Grant of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) and the AHM Board of Directors has earmarked Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) to establish the Resident Scholarship Program.

Training & Employment Services and Guilford County JobLink Career Center (Joblink), a program implemented by the Greensboro-High Point-Guilford County Workforce Development Board (WDB), Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC), and HandyCapable Network (HCN), a non-profit organization, to provide the proposed valuable resources to AHM residents.

Joblink will perform/provide: on-site needs assessment/surveys; based on the results, provide guidance and resources necessary for residents to obtain Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Joblink program services; and conduct WIA/Joblink orientation and other workshops on-site or in the Joblink Center specifically designed for AHM residents.

HCN, through its low-cost computer program, will install refurbished computers in resident’s homes. HCN promotes self-sufficiency and enriches the lives of people with disabilities or people who are otherwise socially or economically challenged by providing training in and access to computer technology. HCN refurbishes used computers and distributes them to families that would otherwise not have access to computers.

GTCC will conduct on-site workshops providing Quick Jobs With a Future (Quick Jobs) information sessions for AHM residents. Quick Jobs With a Future provides a wide variety of occupational specific training for jobs where openings exist. This training is delivered in 90 days or less with flexible schedules and at affordable prices. The program is designed to help laid-off, unemployed and underemployed workers to obtain quick training to aid them in their effort to obtain employment.

The AHM Scholarship Program will provide up to Five Hundred Dollars ($500) per resident to fund any determined gap in funds required for the resident participants to be successful in their pursuit of and participation in the adult education/career training/computer programs being offered. 

For more information on AHM, call 336.273.0568 Ext. 126, email info@ahmi.org or visit www.ahmi.org

VA Announces Availability of Funds under Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of funds for applications for assistance under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. Separate Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) were published in the Federal Register for the Capital Grant and Per Diem Only components of the program.
 
Capital Grant funds may be used by eligible entities to expand existing or develop new transitional housing projects. Funding under the capital grant component may be used for remodeling or alteration of existing buildings; acquisition or rehabilitation of buildings; new construction; and acquisition of vans in connection with new grant and per diem projects for outreach to and transportation of homeless veterans.
 
The VA expects to award approximately $24 million to create an additional 1,000 Grant and Per Diem Program beds under this NOFA. Funding priorities have been established by the VA to provide greater geographical distribution of grants and to increase capacity in areas underserved by the Grant and Per Diem program, as well as for programs serving women veterans and women veterans caring for dependent children, and Indian Tribal Governments or non-profit agencies that will provide transitional housing and services on Indian tribal property.
 
The VA also expects to create approximately 1,200 beds under the Per Diem Only (PDO) component which provides funds to help offset operating and support services costs of eligible community-based transitional housing programs for veterans that have not previously applied for or received per diem in connection with a grant.
 
Grant applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. (EST), March 31, 2010. A copy of the Application Package may be downloaded directly from VA's Grant and Per Diem Program Web page at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ or http://www.grants.gov/.

For more information:

You may call the Grant and Per Diem Program office (toll-free) 1-877-332-0334.

Visit TAC's VA Homeless Technical Assistance webpage for more information on training seminars and the availability of individual TA on the Grant & Per Diem application process.

Census Resources from Nonprofits Count

Nonprofits Count has census resources for nonprofits available on their website, including: 

1.  Online toolkit: On their online toolkit, you can view or download fact sheets in English and Spanish. You can also print a sample census form, and use their 50-state-map to contact your local Census office. The new "About the Census" one-pagers are great sources for Census messaging to include in your communications.

2. 18 x 24 Census Posters: Display a poster to communicate your organization's support for the 2010 Census. The posters highlight a sample questionnaire and toll free numbers to call for help. Nonprofits can order a poster free from the website.

The constituents of nonprofits and social service agencies are at the greatest risk of an undercount. With two months to go and billions of dollars in community funding on the line, we can't afford to wait.  Act now to ask your partners, members and friends to join in getting the word out.