SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
Supportive Housing Investments Expand Options for the State’s Most Vulnerable Citizens
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Supportive Housing Developments
Changes in the state’s economy meant an increase in construction costs, threatening the economic viability of supportive housing development. In 2023, the Agency’s Supportive Housing Development Program (SHDP) funded properties serving a wide range of people with special housing needs, including survivors of domestic abuse and assault, people with substance use disorders and people with disabilities. This program utilized $6.4 million in investment to provide more than 330 units of supportive housing in 2023.
In the Triangle and Piedmont areas, properties with existing funding received additional financing from the Agency’s Supportive Housing—Rehab program to continue to serve North Carolinians with special needs. In 2023, this funding provided 167 units.
In 2023, the Agency created the new Supportive Housing American Rescue Plan program (SHARP) to serve households experiencing homelessness. Through strategic outreach to rural areas, new partners across the state were engaged to provide housing in underserved communities. As a result, the Agency received an unprecedented level of interest in this program from potential partners across the state, resulting in 12 awarded projects by year’s end, with additional awards expected in 2024.
Supportive Housing Investments Provide a Safe Place to Call Home
Williamson Cottage in Middlesex is helping youth in foster care reach their full potential by providing a safe, caring environment for them to grow. Completed in 2022 with funding from the Agency’s Supportive Housing Development Program, Williamson Cottage currently provides a home for middle school aged boys in the Alternative Family Placement Program.
“The Children’s Home has given me a place to live, a home. I don’t worry about being safe anymore,” said one 12-year-old resident.
“The cottage parents cook a big breakfast every Saturday morning with eggs, bacon, sausage and sometimes even pancakes! There’s always more than we can eat. The other boys in Williamson are like my brothers. We play basketball and sometimes ride bikes—just fun, kid stuff,” he added.
Williamson Cottage is more than just a house. For some residents, it’s the first safe home they’ve ever had.