“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work, reporting or approval of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to [email protected].
Keeping Up with Housing Cuts: Why Federal Investment Matters
A perspective from Kimberly Sanchez
It’s hard to keep up with the headlines these days, but if you are following along, you may have seen recent news about proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These cuts, if enacted, would pose a significant threat to affordable housing efforts nationwide, jeopardizing access to safe, stable, and affordable homes for countless families.
At Community Home Trust and among our partner housing organizations, we understand just how critical federal funding is in ensuring that housing remains within reach for low- and moderate-income families. We are lucky that this community supports this issue so strongly at the local level, and our local municipalities make substantial investments in affordable housing. In fact, Chapel Hill’s Mayor and Council recently shared their reliance on federal funds for housing and other important community services in this letter to our representatives. Clearly, local governments cannot shoulder these burdens alone.
Federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships provide essential funding that makes affordable housing initiatives possible. These programs help repair aging homes, prevent displacement, and create new affordable housing opportunities. Without them, many families would face worsening housing insecurity, and communities would struggle to maintain the infrastructure necessary to support their residents.
The impact of these federal dollars is tangible. Take, for example, a recent project at Community Home Trust: a $25,000 CDBG grant helped repair crawlspaces in one of our communities, preventing moisture damage that could have led to long-term structural issues and potential health hazards. Because every home in this community is permanently affordable, there was no option to raise HOA dues or levy a special assessment to cover the cost—doing so would have made the homes unaffordable for the very residents we seek to serve. Without the investment of federal dollars, the project would likely have been impossible to complete, jeopardizing not only the homes themselves but also the well-being of the families living in them.
And this is just one example. Cuts to HUD funding would have far-reaching consequences, affecting homeownership assistance, rental support programs, and essential subsidies that make housing affordable for those otherwise priced out of the market. When these funds are reduced, fewer families can access stable housing, exacerbating cycles of poverty and economic instability. Moreover, these cuts would make it more difficult for our teachers, healthcare workers, and other public servants to live in the communities they serve, straining local economies and deepening housing disparities.
Federal investment in affordable housing isn’t just about preserving buildings—it’s about protecting people, ensuring families can remain in their communities, and fostering economic stability for all. If you’d like to learn more about the proposed cuts and how they might impact affordable housing work in our state, I encourage you to explore the North Carolina Housing Coalition’s resources: nchousing.org/federal-housing-investments-under-existential-threat-what-you-can-do/. The future of affordable housing depends on continued investment both locally and federally.
Kimberly Sanchez is the Executive Director of Community Home Trust
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
Viewpoints: Keeping Up with Housing Cuts and Why Federal Investment Matters Chapelboro.com.
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