Pittsboro, NC – Chatham County has been selected to participate in the University of North Carolina’s Our State, Our Homes program to develop tools and resources to address local housing issues. Chatham County is one of 22 counties selected to participate in the program through UNC’s Carolina Across 100 initiative.
Over the next 18 months, a team of local government, nonprofit, and development housing advocates from Chatham County will work closely with experts at UNC to assess housing assets and needs in the county.
Throughout this process, the team anticipates several community outreach and engagement opportunities focused on studying housing in Chatham County, sharing lessons learned, and developing collaborative strategies to meet community housing needs.
Jamie Andrews, Chatham County Housing and Community Development Officer, noted that being involved in this program represents an opportunity to build new and deep partnerships with residents on housing issues.
“We are grateful to be selected for this program and look forward to working with Chatham residents and policy experts to identify short, mid, and long-term goals for future housing efforts.” said Andrews. “Community relationships are going to be at the core of our work as we progress, and we look forward to building community trust and sharing the tools with residents to build housing policies focused on social and racial equity and opportunity.”
The Chatham team is composed of:
•Jamie Andrews, Housing and Community Development Officer, Chatham County Government
•Theresa Thompson, Assistant Planning Director, Town of Pittsboro
•Sara Martin, Community Development Planner, Town of Siler City
•Lee Bowman, Principal, Legion Development
•Dan Sargent, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, and Town of Goldston Commissioner
•Rebecca Sommer-Petersen, Service Center Director, Salvation Army
The team will work closely with data and policy experts at UNC to assess existing housing assets, develop community partnership plans, and identify productive ways to approach and overcome challenges in the Chatham community.
“As our housing challenges are not unique to Chatham, we believe this work will be an opportunity to present Chatham as a leader for counties in intentional, equitable housing growth,” added Andrews.
“Addressing housing affordability in Chatham County continues to be one of our top priorities for my fellow Commissioners and me,” said Karen Howard, Chair, Chatham County Board of Commissioners. “I hope that by participating in the Our State, Our Homes program, Chatham will form new partnerships, gain valuable resources, and develop creative strategies that we can incorporate into the broader housing work that we are already developing and implementing countywide.”
More information about the Our State, Our Homes program can be found online at carolinaacross100.unc.edu/program5. Details on community input sessions will be provided over the coming weeks and months. Individuals or groups who would like to be involved can find more information under the “Our State, Our Homes” section at chathamcountync.gov/affordablehousing, or reach out to Jamie Andrews, Chatham County Housing and Community Development Officer, at jamie.andrews@chathamcountync.gov.