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Wake County outlines growth, housing and services in 2025 State of the County address
Summary
Chair Susan Evans used the State of the County address at Marbles Kids Museum to highlight population growth, new housing investments including a $5 million housing seed fund, transit and library projects, expanded EMS staffing and pressing child welfare and homelessness needs.
Chair Susan Evans delivered Wake County’s 2025 State of the County address Tuesday evening at Marbles Kids Museum, reviewing rapid population growth, new and planned investments to expand housing and services, and several county goals for the coming years. "Did you know that Wake County has more than 1,200,000 residents, making us the most populated of all 100 counties in North Carolina?" Evans told the audience.
Evans framed the county’s work around a strategic plan and six focus areas, saying Wake officials are connecting "dots" across departments to meet residents’ needs. She announced a $5,000,000 seed investment to launch a housing opportunity fund intended to help affordable-housing developers buy land near jobs and services; county staff are seeking a partner to manage the fund and plan to solicit private contributions to scale it. Evans also said the county’s housing team committed nearly $18,000,000 this year toward gap financing that has helped create or preserve more than 5,000 affordable units since 2019.
On transit, Evans described steps to expand frequent bus service countywide and said construction will begin this year on a first bus rapid transit (BRT) line on New Bern Avenue. She noted the county’s partnerships with municipalities and regional agencies are guiding a Wake Transit Vision Plan update to set funding priorities for the next decade.
Libraries and cultural investments were another focus: Evans cited library use and rollout of a $142 million bond program approved last year to fund new libraries, replacements, expansions and renovations; she said a public dashboard will track progress on those projects. Public safety was also highlighted: the county added 15 EMS positions in this year’s budget and is expanding fire and EMS co‑location projects with municipalities.
Evans acknowledged system pressures, including foster care and homelessness. She said Wake County has "just over 500 children in foster care" and only 88 licensed foster families, and she urged community support for foster and respite caregivers. She also described a county goal to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 10% by 2029 and pointed to a planned, low‑barrier shelter as part of that strategy.
The address combined accomplishments—economic development wins, awards for digital government work and library usage—with calls for community participation in housing, foster care and other supports. Evans closed by encouraging residents to engage with area planning processes and county online tools, including an impact tracker the county plans to launch this fall so the public can see how affordable housing dollars are invested.
The county’s next procedural steps referenced in the address include selecting a manager for the housing opportunity fund and moving forward on area plans and capital projects; several items Evans cited will require future board votes or partnerships with municipalities and private developers.
