Orange County proposes HOME funding shift to home repairs and short-term rental aid after public input

Orange County housing staff presented a draft 2025–2029 HOME Consolidated Plan and the 2025 Annual Action Plan on May 20, proposing to concentrate the county’s HOME allocation principally on home repair and tenant-based rental assistance.

The presentation, delivered by Blake Rosser, Orange County housing director, said the county receives about $400,000 per year in HOME funds and proposes splitting that roughly 50/50 between repair and rehabilitation programs and tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA). “This is really the only HOME tool that we have to address homelessness,” Rosser said, describing TBRA as short-term rental assistance for households at or below 30% of area median income that can be renewed year-to-year.

The shift follows six months of community engagement: one public hearing, three stakeholder sessions and five neighborhood sessions held at Rogers, Eubanks, Eflin, Cheeks, Cedar Grove and Fairview. Rosser said UNC’s Community Practice Lab and the Home Preservation Coalition identified an estimated $2,000,000 shortfall for home preservation and nearly 200 homes on a waiting list for repairs. With the county’s annual HOME allotment, Rosser estimated roughly 20…