1. The Arc of NC. You can go to arcnc.org but their “housing vacancy list” is accessible only by providers. (They were getting too many calls from people unqualified for the spaces.). You can also read their “housing resource guide” online. The Arc of North Carolina has developed over 342 residences that are operated in partnership with local organizations. These residences include group homes, small apartment buildings, duplexes and condominiums, together serving more than 2200 residents.

2. Targeted and Key programs. This is, effectively, a joint program between the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the NC Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). The program is only for people with disabilities, but it’s disabilities of any kind. It begins with HFA offering incentives to developers to set aside 10-20% of their units to be affordable for people with disabilities. DHHS decides who gets to fill those units based on recommendations from qualified referring agencies, plus a background check. Once a person has been assigned to a “targeted” unit DHHS notifies HFA. HFA then administers the “Key” program for DHHS. The Key program subsidizes the rent of the targeted unit such that the renter pays no more than 25% of their income towards rent.

There are 10 regional housing coordinators at DHHS that manage the cases of people who have been referred to them. The regional coordinator for the Triangle, Frank Bryant, receives about 5-15 referrals a day. He gets referrals from Alliance’s service providers, Easter Seals, Daymark, and several other trained referral services. Any entity could be a referral service if they’ve gone through two days of NCHFA training. There is a wait list everywhere; it’s about 1-2 years in Durham. There are some 50-60 properties (500-600 units) in Frank Bryant’s region.

3. Local programs. You can also approach your city or county affordable housing programs. These are not exclusive to the disabled. There is public housing in Chapel Hill (919-968-2850) and Section 8 housing in Orange County (919-245-2490). They have long or closed wait lists.

You can also search for “affordable housing” by utilizing Socialserve.com or calling 1-877-428-8844. Here, you will find public housing properties, low income tax credit properties, project based rental assistance properties, USDA properties and the like. It is important to understand that these limited properties could have a lengthy wait list.

TWO MINOR SOURCES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
These are not aimed specifically for disabilities. They are Chapel Hill’s Community Home Trust, which is for purchasing affordable homes (919-967-1545), and Raleigh-based CASA, which rents affordable housing (919-754-9960).

BE AWARE: Although “living in the community” is the top goal these days, there’s next to no affordable housing available these days, and virtually none reserved for I/DD.