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Urge NC Senators to Support the Housing Credit

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) make affordable rentals possible all across the country and right here in Buncombe County. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 (AHCIA) would significantly expand and strengthen this credit to better serve low-income households and incentivize the building of over half a million affordable homes nationwide.

Right now the AHCIA has broad bipartisan support, including 8 of North Carolina’s 13 Representatives. However, neither of North Carolina’s Senators have yet signed on. We need their support, and we need it now.

Call or email Sen. Burr and Sen. Tillis to urge them to co-sponsor the AHCIA.

Sample talking points (from the North Carolina Housing Coalition):

  • Please sign-on as a co-sponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 1703), joining NC House members from both parties who support of expanding and strengthening the Housing Credit.
  • If the 50% expansion had been in place in 2019, NC might have been able to fund an additional 1000 units.
  • The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) produces virtually all new affordable rental housing and is our primary tool in North Carolina for preserving existing affordable rental housing.

For Sen. Burr’s office, call (202) 224-3154 or email him here.

For Sen. Tillis’s office, call (202) 224-6342 or email him here.

Cost of Home

Across the nation, 1 in 6 households spend half or more of their income on housing. That means, 1 in 6 families are denied the personal and economic stability that safe, decent and affordable housing provides and are forced to make impossible choices. A safe home. Nutritious food on the table. Health care. Access to good schools. Reliable transportation. Which would you choose?

When the cost of home is your family’s future, the cost is too high. And when the cost of home is any family’s future, that’s something none of us can afford. We also know this problem is not just in Western North Carolina, but across the country. That’s why Asheville Area Habitat is joining hundreds of Habitat organizations across the country for our first national advocacy campaign- the Cost of Home.

As we fight in Buncombe County for smart housing policies hundreds of other Habitats will be doing the same. Through the Cost of Home campaign we will aim to improve home affordability by promoting policies at all levels of government that will expand resources for home production, increase inclusive access to credit, enable equitable access to land, and develop communities of opportunity.

Family-Friendly Affordable Buncombe

The sale of Mission Hospital is estimated to bring in $15 million in tax revenue to Asheville City and Buncombe County. The Family-Friendly Affordable Buncombe initiative is proposing strategic investments in preschool, frequent and reliable transportation, and affordable places for working families to live and grow. We aim to build a more prosperous community for all.

Family-Friendly Affordable Buncombe is an initiative by the Asheville-Buncombe Preschool Planning Collaborative, Success Equation, and the Asheville Regional Transit Coalition to leverage the unique opportunity provided to our community by the sale of Mission Health in order to make our region more affordable for Buncombe County families and workers.

About Advocacy at Asheville Habitat

Advocacy is defined by Habitat for Humanity as “changing policies and systems to eliminate barriers to adequate, affordable housing in order to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” In other words, while not visible like homes themselves, laws, regulations and rules about land and building are a major part of housing. Smart policies and systems can promote access to decent housing, while uninformed policies and systems may create unnecessary barriers, making it harder than it needs to be to find land for construction, build the home itself or be able to afford a place to live. Just like building, advocating for smart policies and systems is a way to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

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Use Your Voice!

If you would like to use your voice to help Habitat and support smart housing policies, please sign up for our Advocacy Alert email list and/or text alerts. These lists enable us to mobilize our supporters to act quickly on issues that are important to our organization and the people we serve. From your mobile phone, text buildlouder to 51555 to register for text alerts. Click below to sign up for the email list.

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Past Advocacy Efforts

  • 2017 National Housing Week of Action
  • HOME & CDBG
  • Affordable Housing Crising in Asheville
  • Save HOME Save Service (AmeriCorps) Access to Credit
  • annual North Carolina Legislative Day in Raleigh
  • annual Habitat on the Hill in Washington, D.C.

WNC Resources

The WNC Social Justice Advocacy Guide provides a comprehensive list of resources and allies around Western North Carolina dedicated to addressing social justice. This collection of nonpartisan organizations and nonprofits is for those wishing to learn more about specific issues, to establish connections with other groups, and to peruse volunteer opportunities. The Jubilee! Community’s Social Justice team began this site in 2018.