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UNC-backed Carolina Across 100 announces 22 counties for Our State, Our Homes project

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Courtesy of Our State, Our Homes

Carolina Across 100 has announced the 22 counties selected to participate in the Our State, Our Homes project, an 18-month venture aimed at designing strategies to improve access to and availability of affordable housing in North Carolina.

Carolina Across 100 is a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill initiative aimed at connecting communities across the state and “addressing longstanding challenges exacerbated by and the new challenges associated with COVID-19.”

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According to its website, the Our State, Our Homes project strives to help communities develop capacity, analyze challenges, and implement strategies to address affordable housing and related issues across North Carolina.

“Because housing is a multifaceted challenge, this program will bring together campus partners from a wide range of disciplines, including the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative, the Department of City and Regional Planning, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the UNC School of Medicine, as part of this pan-university effort,” according to an email from Anita Brown-Graham about the project.

Fourteen teams composed of business, civic, education, nonprofit, faith-based, and government entities will address housing challenges spanning all regions of the state. The Our State, Our Homes website says it is committed to sharing program findings to help all North Carolina communities benefit.

Courtesy of Our State, Our Homes

According to Our State, Our Homes, more than one million households in North Carolina are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing. One in five North Carolina homeowners falls into that category, as well as over half of North Carolina’s renters.

There are many contributing factors to the lack of affordable housing, including the rise in short-term rentals fueled by tourism, aging buildings, urban growth and migration from other states, and environmental challenges like Hurricane Helene.

Read the full list of selected counties below.

Courtesy of Our State, Our Homes

Team 1: Jackson County

Team 2: Buncombe County, Henderson County, Madison County, Transylvania County

Team 3: The City of Hendersonville (in Henderson County)

Team 4: Alexander County, Burke County, Caldwell County, Catawba County

Team 5: Ashe County, Watauga County

Team 6: Rowan County 

Team 7: Anson County

Team 8: Chatham County

Team 9: Lee County

Team 10: Cumberland County, Harnett County, Sampson County

Team 11: Warren County

Team 12: Jones County

Team 13: Carteret County

Team 14: Dare County

“Affordable housing needs are too complex for any one town or county to address alone,” said Sarah Odio, associate director of the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative. “We are eager to connect local leaders with our specialized finance and development expertise as they collaborate with their peers across the state to spark new ideas for local solutions.”