The Landlord Engagement Unit is a new addition to Housing and Community Revitalization (HACR) and is created with the intention of bridging the gap between Housing Provider Partners with affordable rental homes and Wake County residents who are seeking permanent affordable housing.

Affordable housing is at an all-time need in Wake County with 56,000 low-income households not able to find affordable housing. This unit seeks to address this by creating partnerships with housing providers to increase the supply of affordable housing through an incentive program.

The Housing Provider Partners Incentive Program will provide financial support to participating housing provider partners in Wake County to assist in making their rental homes affordable. More information on the program for housing provider partners and resident service providers are listed below.

*This program is currently only accepting resident referrals from Wake County/Raleigh agency providers*

What is a Housing Provider Partner?

• A Housing Provider Partner is another term for a landlord. Anyone who have properties available for rent falls under this category.

• Up to $1,000 Risk Mitigation Funds per lease over and above deposit
• $750 signing bonus for every new rental home leased to a resident with a voucher from the program – 12-month lease required
• $500 signing bonus for landlords who do not accept vouchers – 12-month lease required
• $1,000 stability renewal bonus if a resident renews their lease for 12 months or moves to another rental home owned by the same housing provider
• Tailored referrals to tenant and rental preferences
• Up to two months rental payments if unit vacant for at least 30 days; we have the option to place a new referral upon notification.
   

1. Contact a Landlord Engagement Consultant at 919-856-5689 (option 2)
2. Register to become a vendor with Wake County and sign an agreement of enrollment in the Housing Provider Partners Incentive Program.
    

Learn more here. 

• Attend a Housing Provider Partner training session every 12 months
• Notify the LEU of vacancies within a 3-day period and lease signings within a 5-day period
• Rental homes must be operated in compliance with local, state and federal laws of non-discrimination and fair housing.
• Rental homes must be operated in compliance with Wake County and other code provisions for fire, safety, zoning, unit legalization and property maintenance.
• Rental homes must be inspected within 7 days of move-in.
• A move-in condition report must be filled out within 3 days of resident move-in. (A move-in condition report details current damages to a home at the start of the lease filled out by the resident and then signed by both resident and housing provider.)

What is a resident service provider?

• A resident service provider is any case manager working in one of the Raleigh/Wake County CoC agencies.
   

The provider will send in a referral via HMIS to the LEU for residents who qualify for the program.

• The provider will assist the resident with filling out a form of basic information regarding housing barriers.
• The LEU will supply the provider with available home listings from an internal database.
• The provider will assist the client with applying for available listings.
   

The NC Homeowner Assistance Fund is being administered by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
(NCHFA) using approximately $273 million that was allocated to North Carolina under the American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, displacements and foreclosures for
homeowners experiencing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Qualified Expenses:

Housing obligations as listed below may be eligible uses of NC Homeowner Assistance Fund proceeds:

• Existing first mortgage lien loan payment (principal, interest, taxes and insurance or PITI), escrow shortages and servicer corporate advances
• Subordinate mortgage lien payment (principal and interest) and/or installment payment of government bond second lien for down payment assistance (such as NCHFA second deeds of trust for down payment)
• Payments under a forbearance plan or and/or extinguishment of a partial claim
• Other costs associated with a period of delinquency or default, including any reasonably required legal fees
• Payment to reverse mortgages provided that the homeowner entered into a repayment plan
• Attached or unattached manufactured / mobile home loan monthly payment (principal and interest)
• Personal property tax on unattached manufactured/mobile homes
• If home loan monthly payment and/or personal property tax are being paid on an unattached manufactured/mobile home, lot rent may also be paid. Applications for lot rent only are not eligible under HAF although they may be eligible expenses under the NC Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
• Homeowner’s association fees, condominium association fees or common charges, including for a lien extinguishment
• Homeowner's hazard and other property insurance, flood or mortgage insurance
• Delinquent real estate property taxes
   

• Homeowner has experienced a financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Homeowner must own and occupy the property as their primary residence and that property must be in North Carolina.
• Homeowner is seeking mortgage assistance or other eligible housing-related costs.
• Delinquency must result from late payments incurred from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Household income is less than or equal to 150% of the Area Median Income with a priority to socially disadvantaged individuals and lower household incomes (as described by Treasury guidance).
   

Applicants can apply at nchaf.gov or call 1-855-696-2423 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)

In-person assistance can be arranged by appointment only at the Morrisville NCHAF Assistance Center.

Rehabilitation Programs: The Wake County Housing and Community Revitalization Division offers two types of rehabilitation programs in order to meet the needs of citizens:

• Elderly and Disabled Homeowner Grants:
  If you are elderly or disabled and need modest repairs to your home to assist with mobility or retrofits needed after hospital stays, this grant program may be able to help. The program serves homeowners earning at or below 50% area median income (AMI). The current AMI can be found here.
• Emergency Grant Program:
  If you are a homeowner earning at or below 40% area median income , and you are in danger because of a problem with your home that needs to be fixed immediately, an emergency grant may be able to assist you. Eligible repairs include: heating, well/septic, roof and electrical hazards. For information and eligibility requirements on these programs, please email Housing.Rehab@wake.gov or call 919-856-5906.
   

For more information on these rehabilitation grants, check out the program brochure!

Converting your home to affordable housing: Would you like to become a landlord and rent your home? If you can keep the rent affordable (below 80% Area Median Income – amount varies depending on family size) and can maintain in good landlord/tenant relationships, please contact David Harris.

Resources for finding and helping pay for affordable rental units in Wake County:

• Raleigh Housing Authority: The Raleigh Housing Authority owns and manages over 1,400 public housing units and administers over 3,915 Section 8 vouchers. There is generally a waiting list for these programs.
• Housing Authority of the County of Wake: The Housing Authority of the County of Wake has 343 public housing units and provides Section 8 vouchers to over 400 participants. The HACW also manages six rental houses for its affiliate, the Wake County Housing Finance Corporation (WCHFC).
• SocialServe Website: SocialServe is a website with affordable housing listings for rent and for sale.
• Wake Network of Care Housing Search Resources: Wake Network of Care is an online information portal that features links to a number of resources to help in the search for affordable rental housing.
   

Supportive housing combines affordable housing with tenancy support services to help those who face the complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy and dignity. It allows people to live independently who otherwise might not be able to do so. The core services in supportive housing are:

• Pre-tenancy services
  • Outreach and engagement
  • Housing search 
  • Application assistance
  • Move-in assistance
• Tenancy-sustaining services
  • Landlord relationship management
  • Tenant stabilization services
  • Tenancy rights and responsibilities education
  • Eviction prevention
  • Crisis intervention 
  • Program participation
     

In addition, supportive housing service providers link tenants to an array of primary and behavioral health care, education, employment and community services.

Access to permanent supportive housing is received through the Coordinated Entry process.

Programs to combat homelessness and support individuals and families experiencing homelessness:

• South Wilmington Street Center: For men experiencing homelessness, Wake County operates the South Wilmington Street Center. It is the largest of the county’s eight homeless shelters.
• Centralized Housing Intake for Single Women, Families and Youth: For women, families and youth, several nonprofits offer homeless shelters and rapid rehousing services. Placement into these programs is handled through a coordinated entry process led by the Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness.
• Cornerstone: The newly renovated Cornerstone Center houses the Cornerstone Bridge Housing program. This program provides 20 furnished units for people experiencing chronic homelessness and living with disabling health and mental health conditions.  Participants will receive enhanced support services to address their needs and prepare them for independent living in the community 
  • Services include:
    • Case Management and referrals
    • Vocational Services
    • Housing Navigation
    • SOAR disability services
    • Nursing assessments
    • Connection to physical and mental health providers
    • Skills and educational groups
    • Daily meals
  • For more information about Cornerstone programs and how to make a referral, please call 919-508-0777.
• McKinney Team: The Wake County McKinney Team offers behavioral health support to persons who are mentally ill and homeless. Through a HUD grant, the team provides outreach, assessment, assistance with housing access and on‐going support to maintain housing through medication management, therapy and case management.
• Wake Network of Care: The Wake Network of Care is a one-stop resource directory to help locate needed services and support throughout the Wake community. The Wake Network of Care provides comprehensive information on local services and organizations and a learning center dedicated to topics related to health and well-being.
   

The Homelessness Prevention Program serves as an emergency resource for Wake County residents who are in a housing crisis and are at risk of experiencing literal homelessness. This program provides a full array of housing support services to ensure that fewer citizens become homeless and that those who need affordable housing are matched to the affordable units in Wake County. Services are designed to help you remain in current permanent housing or safely identify alternative permanent housing without entering the homeless system. The Wake County’s Homelessness Prevention Program receives all referrals through the Wake County Coordinated Entry System.

Potential Homeowners: Wake County and DHIC, Inc., offer the Affordable Homeownership Program. This program provides forgivable, no-monthly-payment loans up to $20,000 to low- and moderate-income households serving all Wake County municipalities outside of Raleigh and Cary. Loans can be used for home purchase assistance and foreclosure prevention.

For more information visit the program webpage.

If you are interested in buying a home, there are opportunities for first-time homebuyers to learn about the process and take low-cost housing counseling lessons.

Some of the area’s HUD certified housing counseling age

• Triangle Family Services, 919-821-1170; and
• Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, 919-855-8484.
   

Learn more about the process of buying a home here.

If you are currently experiencing a housing crisis, start with Coordinated Entry. Find assistance here.

Our programs and services are based in a variety of service center and office locations across the county:

• Cornerstone Center: Cornerstone is a multiservice center for homeless individuals. 
  • Location: 220 Snow Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603
  • Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m. Wednesday: 1–5 p.m.
  • Information and Referrals: We provide information and/or referral to homeless individuals about resources within the community. These resources include:
    • Crisis intervention
    • Mental health
    • Substance abuse treatment
    • Employment Counseling
    • Identification
    • Shelters
    • Housing
    • Food
    • Clothing
    • Transportation
    • Financial Assistance
    • Mail
    • Disability services
    • Veterans’ resources
    • Legal services
    • Additional services offered (Please call for qualifications, times and availability): Laundry, showers, substance abuse services, local telephone, temporary mailing address, traveler’s aid and identification cards.
  • Mental Health Services: We provide outreach, engagement, crisis intervention, clinical assessment and treatment, and case management services to homeless individuals who are dealing with mental health issues. Specific criteria must be met to receive these services.
  • HOPWA Program: The Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program is the only federal program dedicated to addressing the housing needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. It is designed to help low-income clients living with HIV/AIDS to have access to affordable housing.
    • Through the HOPWA program at Cornerstone, clients can also be assisted with starting/reestablishing HIV services with the Human Services’ Clinic B and/or Under One Roof. 
    • Bus tickets or transportation can be offered for an HIV service with an appointment card. Case manager will assist client in finding suitable and affordable housing thru the Rental Assistance Housing Program (RAPH) of Wake County. A case manager will also provide monthly home visits once client is housed for housing support.
• South Wilmington Street Center
  • 1420 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, 27603
  • The South Wilmington Street Center is an emergency and transitional shelter for homeless men. It opened in 2001 as a newly renovated facility and changed the way we offer services to the homeless population. The center provides a variety of services both on-site and off-site that are designed to lead men to self-sufficiency.
  • The shelter provides two types of dorms: short-term emergency dorms with overnight shelter only, and longer-term dorms for men who engage in services. Those services include case management, budgeting and credit counseling, mental health/substance abuse treatment, and referrals to other programs. The goal is to provide safe shelter while the men develop realistic plans for moving out of the shelter, and into employment and housing of their own.
  • For more information, call South Wilmington Street Center at 919-857-9428.
• Wake County Office Building
  • 337 S. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27601
  • Housing and Community Revitalization Administrative offices are located at the Waverly F. Akins Building (Wake County Office Building) in downtown Raleigh between Salisbury and Fayetteville streets at the corner of Davie Street. Visitors can enter from Salisbury or Fayetteville streets. Please be prepared to show picture identification.
  • Visitor Parking: The Wake County Parking Deck is located on the corner of Davie, McDowell & Cabarrus streets. The nine-level deck has two entrances and three exits. Vehicle entrances are located on Cabarrus and Davie streets.
• Swinburne Building
  • 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, NC, 27610, 919-212-7000
  • The Swinburne Building is part of Wake County's Human Services campus. Services include:
    • Public Health
    • Social Services
    • Human Services Administration
       

The Wake County Veterans Services Office assists eligible veterans, their dependents and/or surviving spouses, children of deceased veterans, members of the Reserves or National Guard and active-duty service members in applying for benefits and services from the Department of Veterans Affairs and North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.

Learn more

• Applying for NCDVMA benefits
• Retrieving official Wake County documents in support of claims
• Completing applications
• Help at NCWorks Career Centers
• Obtaining DD-214s
   

• NCHousingSearch.org: A free housing locator service available to consumers looking for affordable rental housing.
• SocialServe.com: A website that allows you to search for listings of apartments, mobile homes, duplexes and single-family units. This includes Section 8 properties and assisted living facilities, as well as market-rate housing.
• GoSection8.com: If you have a Section 8 voucher and are having a difficult time locating housing, check out GoSection8.com, which provides of list of properties that will accept Section 8.
• Town of Cary Affordable Housing: Provides a list of tax credit, subsidized and senior properties available in the Town of Cary.
• City of Raleigh Rental Housing: If you live in Wake County and make less than 50% of the area median income, you may qualify for housing with the City of Raleigh. They offer a variety of houses and apartments at affordable rental rates.
• HUD Subsidized Housing List: HUD provides a list of apartments based on 30% of income for families and individuals with very limited income.
   

• Habitat for Humanity in Wake County: Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing organization. Habitat serves low-income citizens of Wake County who are in substandard or overcrowded housing or are trying to escape violent neighborhoods. 
• DHIC.org: Established in 1974, DHIC, Inc. is a private nonprofit housing development company that builds high-quality affordable housing in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. DHIC's homeownership center assists clients in credit, budgets and homeownership.
• Self-Help Credit Union: Self-Help is a community development lender that has provided more than $3.5 billion in financing to 40,000 homebuyers, small businesses and nonprofits. Self-Help reaches people who are underserved by conventional lenders – particularly minorities, women, rural residents, and low-wealth families – through the support of socially-responsible citizens and institutions across the U.S..
• City of Raleigh Homeownership Program: The City of Raleigh offers education, repair, and down payment support. You may qualify for up to $30,000 in down-payment assistance.
• Fannie Mae: Fannie Mae is a private, shareholder-owned company that works to make sure mortgage money is available for people in communities all across America. They do not lend money directly to homebuyers. Instead, they work with lenders to make sure they don't run out of mortgage funds, so more people can achieve the dream of homeownership.
• HUD and Other Homes for Sale: Several federal agencies have properties to sell. In fact, HUD sells both single-family homes and multifamily properties. Check them out – one might be just what you're looking for!
   

• Triangle Family Services: As a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) at Triangle Family Services has nationally certified credit counselors for daytime, evening and telephone appointments. Contact the Consumer Credit Counseling Coordinator at 919-821-0790 ext. 122.
• North Carolina Consumer Protection Section: Learn more about predatory mortgage lending.
• Ficoscore.com: Learn how credit scores work.
• annualcreditreport.com: By law, you may obtain a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Visit the page above to learn how to access this information by email, telephone or regular mail, or visit the reporting companies at: Equifax, Experian, and/or Transunion. 
• Veterans Affairs Home Loans: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has information on VA loans, certificates of eligibility, VA-acquired properties and application forms.
• Consumer Education Services, INC. (CESI): Consumer Education Services, Inc. is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering and inspiring consumers nationwide to become debt free. They offer services such as credit counseling, foreclosure prevention, bankruptcy counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, homebuyer classes, and down payment assistance.
• USDA Rural Housing Guaranteed Loans & Direct Loans: Learn about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Guaranteed Loans and Direct Loans.
   

• N.C. Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA): The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency website offers information about housing, renters' rights and responsibilities, fair housing laws and housing search options.
• CASA: CASA offers housing to meet the needs of persons with disabilities or who may be facing homelessness. CASA programs are designed to help these individuals overcome the challenges they face.
• Resources for Seniors: Resources for Seniors offers information about senior housing, retirement communities, assisted living, nursing homes and much more.
• North Carolina Housing Coalition
• Hud.gov: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's website offers sections on homeownership, HUD homes, fair housing, homeless, consumer information and much more!
   

All affordable housing programs qualify recipients based on their income. Since different parts of the country have varying living costs and income levels, the U.S. department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) determines an Area Median Income (AMI) for each housing market throughout the country. Family size is taken into account because of higher costs of providing for a larger family. For this years income limits, see below. 

FY 2021 HUD Income Limits

The NC Homeowner Assistance Fund is being administered by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
(NCHFA) using approximately $273 million that was allocated to North Carolina under the American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, displacements, and foreclosures for
homeowners experiencing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Homeowner has experienced a financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Homeowner must own and occupy the property as their primary residence and that property must be in
• North Carolina.
• Homeowner is seeking mortgage assistance or other eligible housing-related costs.
• Delinquency must result from late payments incurred from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
• Household income is less than or equal to 150% of the Area Median Income with a priority to socially
• disadvantaged individuals and lower household incomes (as described by Treasury guidance).
   

Applicants can apply at nchaf.gov or call 1-855-696-2423 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)