21st Century ROAD to Housing Act The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (ROAD Act) became law on July 11, 2026, after President Trump took no action within the constitutional review period. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent the bill to the President on June 29; because it was neither signed nor vetoed within ten days, excluding Sundays, it became law without the President's signature. The bipartisan package combines numerous housing and community development bills, including long-pending HOME program reforms developed with NCDA input through a HOME Coalition working group. The effort began with Senator Tim Scott's (R-SC) 2023 discussion draft and gained momentum in 2025 when Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) joined Scott to advance a bipartisan version through the Senate Banking Committee. After the bill was left out of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, the House Financial Services Committee advanced a similar measure, and the chambers reconciled their versions before final passage by votes of 85-5 in the Senate and 358-32 in the House this year. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act makes significant changes to federal community development and affordable housing programs by expanding eligible uses of CDBG and HOME funds, reducing administrative barriers, and creating new opportunities to support affordable housing supply. The Act also directs HUD to advance reforms related to zoning, land use, and environmental review, with the overall goal of helping communities increase housing production and improve access to affordable housing. For the CDBG program, the Act requires communities to establish publicly available databases of undeveloped public land beginning with FY27 grants and allows grantees to use up to 20% of their annual allocations for new affordable housing construction that meets HOME affordability standards. Beginning with FY30 grants, CDBG entitlement allocations may also be affected by local housing growth performance under the Build Now Act, creating a potential funding risk for grantees whose housing production falls below national benchmarks. The HOME program reforms are among the Act's most substantial changes. They expand flexibility for homeownership assistance, raise purchase price and income limits, streamline certain Section 3 and environmental review requirements, eliminate the 24-month commitment deadline, allow more flexible use of unspent CHDO set-aside funds, and provide limited repayment waiver authority when circumstances beyond a grantee's or property owner's control make a project financially unviable. The Act also affects Emergency Solutions Grants by allowing state and local recipients to request waivers of the 60% cap on emergency shelter and street outreach expenditures from 2027 through 2030. In addition, it creates several competitive grant programs focused on affordable housing supply, planning and implementation, home repair, and adaptive reuse of vacant or abandoned properties. Most of these programs will depend on future congressional appropriations before funding becomes available. Because many provisions require HUD guidance before implementation, grantees should monitor forthcoming notices and interim guidance closely. Until HUD issues formal direction, grantees should avoid revising program documents or making implementation changes. NCDA's overview of the bill provides additional information on key community development and affordable housing provisions, implementation considerations, and takeaways for grantees.

Essential Single Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool (ESFRLP) Notice of Funds Available The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (the Agency) proposes to make a total of eleven million dollars available to eligible organizations for the rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes in selected counties under the 2027 cycle of the Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool (ESFRLP27).   Under the 2027 cycle (ESFRLP27), $10 million in rehabilitation and $1 million in administrative funds will be made available to one or more organizations to serve homeowners in the following counties: Alexander, Avery, Beaufort, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Carteret, Caswell, Catawba, Cherokee, Cleveland, Columbus, Cumberland, Davie, Duplin, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Jackson, Lenoir, New Hanover, Randolph, Richmond, Rutherford, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Wilson and Yadkin.   ESFRLP funds may not be used to assist households residing within the large CDBG Entitlement cities of Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Only applications proposing to serve an entire county, excluding the five cities listed above, will be considered for funding; a separate application must be submitted for each county an organization seeks to serve.   It is the Agency’s intent to serve 33 to 34 counties each year, on a three-year rotating basis (contingent on the continuing availability of HOME program funds). Successful applicants will be awarded a set-aside of $182,000 for the rehabilitation of eligible units, with the option of receiving additional funds on a first-come, first-served basis.     The focus of the program is on financially feasible, essential rehabilitation. ESFRLP funds are targeted to owner-occupied units. Homes must be occupied by households with elderly, disabled and/or veteran fulltime household members or a child six years old or younger with lead hazards. Household incomes must be at or below 80% of the area median income. Nonprofit organizations, local governments and regional councils of government are eligible to apply for ESFRLP funding. Applicants must show that they have the organizational capacity to manage this program and experience with housing rehabilitation assistance. If two or more eligible entities apply to serve a given county, more than one applicant may be approved.   Potential applicants are encouraged to register for the ESFRLP27 Application Guideline Webinar which will be hosted on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Only entities proposing to serve counties listed above will be considered for funding. You can register for the ESFRLP27 Application Guideline Webinar by clicking the following link: ESFRLP27 Application Guideline Webinar.   Application forms and guidelines will be available on the Agency’s website at www.nchfa.com on or after February 7, 2025. Completed applications must be received by the Agency by 5:00 pm Friday, April 4, 2025. For more information about the ESFRLP, please call Donna Coleman, 919-981-5006; Mike Handley, 919-877-5627; Chuck Dopler, 919-981-5008; Dan McFarland, 919-875-3753 or Sarah Zinn, 919-578-3580.

A Message From Our President and CEO Patrick Woodie

 

Welcome to 2025! It's hard to believe we're a quarter of the way through the 21st century already and closing in on the 40th anniversary of the NC Rural Center. As we begin our 38th year, we're mindful of the reason we're here: To improve the quality of life of all rural North Carolinians in the communities that they call home.   We do this in the context of a rapidly evolving state where the fastest-growing county is a rural county (Brunswick), the county with the most significant population loss is also a rural county (Robeson). and both are located within the same geographic region of our state. Finally, it must be said, we love them both equally. Our theme for the 2025 Rural Summit (March 25-26, 2025) is Securing Our Rural Future. Securing that future is a very different thing (as just illustrated with the preceding example) depending upon where you live, but it is fundamentally grounded in the framework of the Rural Center's Advocacy Platform which revolves around core pillars of Education & Workforce, Health, Infrastructure, and Business & Economic Development.   Every rural community has inherent value and is vital to the overall economic health of our state. We recognize the opportunities and challenges facing rural North Carolina may vary by region and by community, and we will strive to secure public policy outcomes that acknowledge these differences and invest in all communities fully, regardless of geographic, demographic or other considerations.   We seek your engagement in carrying this message and the local stories of rural North Carolina communities to the decision makers who represent our state. We look forward to the work that lies in front of us.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST IN NC RURAL CENTER NEWS

Affordable Housing Opportunity

Single-Family Housing Development Program

The City of Fayetteville is soliciting proposals for the development of affordable for-sale units on approximately 45 city-owned vacant lots.

The City of Fayetteville's Affordable Single-Family Housing Development Program is designed to expand affordable homeownership opportunities by providing development incentives to qualified for-profit and non-profit organizations. The program's primary goal is to support the development of in-fill housing that serves families earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), in accordance with HUD's HOME Investment Partnerships Program (24 CFR Part 92). This includes the provision of interest-free construction financing to developers and forgivable down payment assistance to qualified buyers (not to exceed $50,000).

• Request for Proposal (RFP) Single-Family Housing Development Program
• Single-Family Housing Development Program Guidelines
• Map of Available Properties
• List of Available Properties

Proposals due February 14, 2025. For more information, contact Kimberly Toon, Procurement Manager, at kimberlytoon@fayettevillenc.gov or (910) 433-1942.

2025-2026 Urgent Repair Program (URP26) Notice of Funds Available The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (the Agency) proposes to make a total of $8.8 million available for the 2025-2026 Urgent Repair Program (URP26). Program funding enables recipient organizations to provide deferred, forgiven loans of up to $15,000 for emergency home repairs and modifications to very low-income owner-occupied homes. Eligible households are those with one or more fulltime household members with special needs (e.g., elderly, disabled and/or Veteran fulltime household members or a child 6 years of age or under living in the home with lead hazards). Household incomes cannot exceed 50% of area median income.      Nonprofit organizations, local governments and regional councils of government with the technical capacity to manage residential construction projects are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants must cover service areas with a population of 5,000 or greater. The maximum funding amount is $330,000 for projects serving two or more counties in their entirety, and $165,000 for projects serving a single county. The minimum funding allocation is $99,000.    Potential applicants are encouraged to register for the URP26 Application Guideline Webinar, which will be presented on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm. You can register for the URP26 Application Guideline Webinar by clicking the following link: URP 2025-2026 (URP26) Application Webinar. Please register for the Webinar no later than 3:00 pm, November 5, 2024.  Application forms and guidelines will be available on the Agency’s website at housingbuildsnc.com after October 21, 2024. Completed applications must be received at the Agency by 5:00 pm, December 13, 2024. For more information, please call Mike Handley, 919-877-5627, Chuck Dopler, 919-981-5008, Donna Coleman, 919-981-5006, Dan McFarland, 919-875-3753 or Sarah Zinn, 919-578-3580.

April 17, 2024 | Online

9:00am-2:00pm | Course Cost: $325

This class is part of the Performance Management Course Series. To see the full list of courses offered please click HERE

This course focuses on converting performance information into decisions that enhance organizational outcomes. We will review performance management topics including goal setting, measurement, analysis, decision-making, and best practices. This course is designed for community development professionals serving in supervisory, middle management, and leadership roles. It offers community development professionals the tools to use performance metrics to make evidence-based decisions in their organizations. We will employ accessible step-by-step techniques to demystify the performance management process for public managers and present flexible, pragmatic methods to implement these systems.

Learning outcomes:

• Gain an understanding of performance management in community development
• Analyze performance data
• Connect performance information with organizational strategy
• Use performance data for organizational learning and improvement
• Mitigate the unintended consequences of performance management
• Apply best practices in designing and implementing performance management systems

This course will be taught by Obed Pasha, Associate Professor of Public Management at the School of Government and Teresa Campo, Community Development Manager for the City of Monroe. 

Teresa Vincenty Campo, has more than twenty-five years of government and non-government agency experience in the management of, and program and policy development for, all aspects of community development. She has provided technical assistance to cities throughout North Carolina and non-profit organizations nationally and internationally to focus on the importance of sound performance management measuring and design. Teresa is an authority on federal compliance and other special tools for development. Since her employment with the City of Wilmington in 1997, she has worked in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to assist localities in improving the effectiveness of their programs. Most recently, she was hired by the City of Monroe to develop and manage their Community Development Division. The City of Monroe is a partner in one of the HUD recognized Urban Counties in North Carolina. Throughout her career, Teresa has been recognized for her work with non-profit organizations and other Committees as a board member, volunteer, and consultant nationally and internationally.

Asynchronous (to be completed before the week prior to the live session) 

• 4 hours of asynchronous instructional videos and forums that introduce performance management concepts from a broad, generic perspective. 

• Exercises and forums on the learning platform to solidify learning. 

Live Online 

• Participants will join a 4 hour live online session over Zoom from 9am - 2pm. The session will discuss ways to successfully implement performance management in Community Development, including best practices to solidify decision-making, operations, and routines. 

• Document support, including templates for data management and decision-making. 

The Supportive Housing group of NCHFA is interested in expanding their network of potential Housing Development Consultants (HDCs) that local governments and nonprofits can engage to guide them through the planning and development process to loan closing. HDCs help applicants who may lack recent project development experience. The HDCs help manage all the technical phases of administrating a supportive housing development project from start to finish. If you know of someone or an organization that might be interested in having a conversation with NCHFA or for more information, reach out to SHDevelopment@nchfa.com.

Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool - Disaster Recovery Notice of Funds Available Issued December 1, 2023   I am pleased to announce that the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (the Agency) proposes to make a total of $11 million dollars available to eligible organizations for the rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes in selected counties under the 2024 cycle of the Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool (ESFRLP).   Under the 2024 cycle (ESFRLP24), $10 million in rehabilitation and $1 million in administrative funds will be made available to one or more organizations to serve homeowners in the following counties: Alamance, Ashe, Bertie, Bladen, Burke, Camden, Chatham, Currituck, Dare, Gaston, Graham, Greene, Haywood, Hoke, Hyde, Iredell, Jones, Lee, Madison, Martin, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pasquotank, Pender, Polk, Rockingham, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilkes.   ESFRLP funds may not be used to assist households residing within the large CDBG Entitlement cities of Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Only applications proposing to serve an entire county, excluding the five cities listed above, will be considered for funding; a separate application must be submitted for each county an organization seeks to serve.   It is the Agency’s intent to serve 33-34 counties each year, on a three-year rotating basis (contingent on the continuing availability of HOME program funds). Successful applicants will be awarded a set-aside of $162,000 for the rehabilitation of eligible units, with the option of receiving additional funds on a first-come, first-served basis.     The focus of the program is on financially feasible, essential rehabilitation. ESFRLP funds are targeted to owner-occupied units. Homes must be occupied by households with elderly, disabled and/or Veteran fulltime household members or a child six years old or younger with lead hazards. Household incomes must be at or below 80% of the area median income. Nonprofit organizations, local governments and regional councils of government are eligible to apply for ESFRLP funding. Applicants must show that they have the organizational capacity to manage this program and experience with housing rehabilitation assistance. If two or more eligible entities apply to serve a given county, more than one applicant may be approved.   Potential applicants are encouraged to register for the ESFRLP24 Application Guideline Webinar which will be hosted on Monday, December 18, 2023 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Only entities proposing to serve counties listed above will be considered for funding. You can register for the ESFRLP24 Application Guideline Webinar by clicking the following link: ESFRLP24 Application Guideline Webinar.   Application forms and guidelines will be available on the Agency’s website at www.nchfa.com on or after December 1, 2023.  Completed applications must be received by the Agency by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2024.  For more information about the ESFRLP, please call Donna Coleman, 919-981-5006; Mike Handley, 919-877-5627; Chuck Dopler, 919-981-5008; Dan McFarland, 919-875-3753 or Sarah Zinn, 919-578-3580.

UNC School of Government is offering THREE continuing education courses for community and economic development practitioners!    Historic Resilience Workshops November 8, 2023 | Biltmore Village, Asheville November 14, 2023 | Revolution Mills, Greensboro November 30, 2023 | Rocky Mount Mills, Rocky Mount December 7, 2023 | Downtown, New Bern December 14, 2023 | Online 9:00am-4:00pm | Course Cost: $25

This one-day workshop seeks to find common ground between historic preservation, hazard mitigation, private ownership, and public regulation--worlds that are sometimes at odds despite common goals. It will help build an understanding around natural hazards in North Carolina and how to mitigate their impacts in historically appropriate ways. You will be introduced to a suit of Historic Resilience resources. Additionally, you will be introduced to each other through structured discussions, case study problems, and open dialogue.  What You'll Learn: The workshop provide context and answers to questions like these: What are the risks for our historic properties, and how do we find out?  What steps should our community take to protect our treasured cultural sites from natural hazards?  What is wet floodproofing, and how does it work?  How do we align our historic preservation regulations and our hazard mitigation priorities?  Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in resilience-focused adaptation strategies for historic properties, specifically to help mitigate the impacts of natural hazards like hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding. Communities are encouraged to bring participants from multiple perspectives. It is not solely for preservationists, emergency managers, or property owners. Audience: Decision-Makers Elected Officials Historic Preservation Commissioners Local Government Managers Community Members and Property Owners Historic Property Owners & Businesses Historic Site Operators Religious, High Education, & Other Institutional Leaders Preservation Advocates and Design Professionals Preservation Nonprofits & Consultants Community Cultural Advocates Architects, Engineers, & Other Designers Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Officials Emergency Management Officials Floodplain Managers Hazard Mitigation Planners Local Planning and Preservation Officials Preservation Planners Land Use Planners Development Planning Officials Historic Resilience Workshops | UNC School of Government

Development Finance Toolbox

December 5 - 7,  2023 | Online

10:00am - 2:30pm | Course Cost: $360

How do local governments use public-private partnerships for development? What finance tools are available to local governments to revitalize Main Street? North Carolina communities can select from wide array of financing tools in their efforts to attract and grow businesses, improve real estate, and build community assets.

This course is intended for elected officials; city and county managers, assistant managers, clerks; and community and economic development professionals who want to learn the basics and understand the options of development finance tools used by North Carolina local governments.

What You'll Learn:

• Federal tax credit financing
• Public-private partnerships for redevelopment
• Local government capital financing
• Tax increment financing (TIF) and synthetic TIF
• Business improvement districts
• Attracting private investment to Main Street
• Grant identification and management
• Fundamentals of developer real estate financing

Development Finance Toolbox | UNC School of Government

Community Development Academy February 1 - April 25, 2024 | Online 9:00am - 12:15pm | Course Cost: $915

Community development practitioners will benefit from this weekly intensive course that meets on Thursday mornings. It is designed for community development practitioners and covers the concepts, methods, and strategies of community economic development. The course provides practitioners with perspectives and practical skills surrounding community development in North Carolina.  What You'll Learn: Community development finance Affordable housing strategies and tools Role of economic development CDBG and related grant programs Environmental finance Visioning and citizen participation Tools for group decision-making Purchasing and contracting Measuring success Grants management Community Development Academy | UNC School of Government ***Scholarships Available for January to March 2024 courses: Apply by December 1, 2023 for a Civic Local Foundation Scholarship.***

Gary Alan Dimmick

August 1, 1952 - July 20, 2023

IN THE CARE OF

Hanes Lineberry Funeral Home

Gary Alan Dimmick, 70, died at Abbotswood in Greensboro, NC on July 20. A 1974 Lehigh University graduate, he moved to NC in order to work for HUD. After working as a HUD Field Representative, Gary took a sabbatical to go back to nature and emulate his early hero, Henry David Thoreau. He built a rustic shelter in his beloved Blue Ridge meadow and lived a simple life on the land. On returning to HUD, and gainful employment, he and his wife hand-built a stone and log house. Gary’s lifelong housebuilding and carpentry experiences added an insightful dimension to his work at HUD. He retired on December 31, 2015, as Director, Office of Community Planning & Development, NC Field Office, US Department of Housing & Urban Development.

Gary was known for his curiosity, humor, and wide-ranging skills. He created authentic bentwood drawshave chairs and built a harpsichord for his wife. He enjoyed cooking, baking pies and bread, and brewing ales and beer. He distilled moonshine (once). He played trombone in a Moravian trombone choir, and with his son built a trebuchet. Gary was part of a world-wide community of people with Parkinson’s Disease who participate in Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s, as well as the Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery exercise program. He and his wife shared their love of nature with their grandchildren, for whom Gary often made magically comforting pancakes.

Gary is survived by his wife of 42 years, Cleo Nikora Dimmick, by son Fields and Cherie (Nunley) Dimmick; granddaughters Lucy Anne, Anna Beth, and Elin Rose all of Greensboro; brother Ray and Gayle (Stevens) Dimmick of Bethlehem PA; and sister Barbara Dimmick of Scottsville NY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in honor of Gary to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, 3826 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27407 https://habitatgreensboro.org/give/

A Celebration of Gary's life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Hanes Lineberry North Elm Chapel, 515 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com for the Dimmick family.

NCCDA would like to offer their deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Dimmick and the HUD office personnel.