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Review Results and Consider Recommendations for the Employee Housing Program.
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Staff:
Department:
Sarah Osmer Vi?as, Interim Director
Housing and Community
Nate Broman-Fulks, Affordable Housing Manager
Megan Culp, Community Development Program Manager
Overview: In November 2018, Council approved an Employee Housing Incentive Pilot Program to support Town employees who want to live in Chapel Hill with rental and homeownership assistance. Staff rolled out the program to employees in the Spring of 2019. During the two-year pilot, 7 employees received rental assistance. Staff conducted a program evaluation to assess opportunities for program changes to increase participation. This item provides an update on the Employee Housing Program, summarizes the results of our evaluation of the pilot program, and identifies recommendations for strengthening the program going forward.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council approve updates to the Employee Housing Program, as outlined in the attached Staff Memorandum.
Project Background
In the spring of 2017, the Council asked the Town Manager to explore options for providing assistance to Town employees who want to live in Chapel Hill. Based on Council's direction:
* Spring 2017-January 2018: Staff conducted a multi-part research process using the human-centered design approach that included employee engagement and national review of best practices research.
* February 2018: Staff presented the initial findings to the Town Council and the Council asked staff to develop a pilot program.
* November 2018: Town Council approved the Employee Housing Incentive Pilot Program
* Spring 2019: Staff launched the program and received its first applications from employees.
* Spring 2021: Staff began conducting a program evaluation to assess opportunities for program improvements.
See the Staff Memorandum attached for additional details on the pilot evaluation and recommendations for the Employee Housing Program.
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