On Wednesday, March 22, advocates from across Wake County came together to participate in Habitat Wake’s 2nd annual Local Lobby Day.
Throughout the day, Habitat volunteers, homebuyers, homeowners, and concerned residents met with local elected officials from the Wake County Commission and Raleigh City Council.
It’s budget season, which means it was a great time to meet with policymakers to emphasize the need for additional funding for affordable housing in local budgets. Local government dollars are a critical source of funding for affordable housing projects, like Habitat’s Old Poole Place development in Raleigh.
This year, we asked the Wake County Commission to:
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Ensure that Wake County’s FY24 budget includes the proposal developed by Habitat Wake, ONE Wake, and County staff and Commissioners to address rising housing costs for homeowners with incomes under 60% AMI.
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Increase the appropriation for affordable housing by 15% in the Wake County FY24 budget.
We asked the Raleigh City Council to:
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Use the remaining $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to deepen investments in Raleigh’s existing affordable housing programs, especially for land acquisition and homeownership programs.
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Increase the appropriation for affordable housing by 25% in the City of Raleigh FY24 budget.
“I enjoyed our meeting with Council Member Stallings,” volunteer advocate Hayden Constance said, “she listened, and shared her support for affordable housing, and offered ideas for gaining additional support.”
Additional funding at the City and County level is needed to address the racial wealth gap. This includes new affordable construction and the preservation of Black and brown homeownership through anti-displacement strategies.
As policymakers make decisions on what kinds of services and programs to fund with taxpayer dollars in the coming fiscal year, it's critical that affordable housing remains a top priority.
"I really enjoyed listening to my Councilman speak about future plans for affordable housing in Raleigh,” said volunteer Sahana Prakash, a Lobby Day participant. “It was truly an eye-opening and rewarding experience for me to be a part of the conversation.”
Habitat volunteers who participated in Local Lobby Day were a huge reason for its success, and it's not too late to join in on the action. Sign up to be an Advocacy Ambassador!