Press Contact Only:
Margaret Matrone, NCHFA, 919-877-5606,
Connie Helmlinger, NCHFA, 919-877-5607,
Three affordable housing developments and two nonprofit home ownership organizations will receive Housing North Carolina Awards on Sept. 16 during the NC Affordable Housing Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center. Sponsored by the NC Housing Finance Agency, the awards recognize outstanding affordable housing that can serve as models for other communities. Nearly 700 people are expected to attend the 21st annual awards luncheon.
This year’s winners range from Greenville to Spindale and include two organizations that are stabilizing neighborhoods by purchasing foreclosed properties, rehabbing them as needed, and selling them to families with low and moderate incomes. Other winners include one of the first affordable apartment communities in the state to receive Energy Star certification, one of the first rental developments placed in service in North Carolina using funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, and a home for children who are in the care of social services.
Housing North Carolina Award winners are:
- Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
- Prosperity Unlimited, Kannapolis
- Creekside Crossing, Spindale, an apartment community for seniors developed by Weaver-Kirkland Housing, LLC
- Nathaniel Village, Greenville, an apartment community for families initiated by the City of Greenville and developed by the Landmark Group
- Eisele Home in Statesville, a group home for children who are wards of the county, developed by Children’s Homes of Iredell County, Inc.
The winners were selected for affordability; design (attractiveness, energy-efficiency); contribution to the community; sustainability as affordable housing; and features such as services for residents and creative partnerships.
Editor: A description of each winner and the contact person follows:
Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte has traditionally focused on the construction of new homes for low- and moderate-income families using sweat equity, community and corporate fundraising and home buyer education. As the recession took hold, the Habitat expanded its outreach to include neighborhood stabilization by buying foreclosed homes, rehabilitating them and selling them to the families it serves.
Charlotte Habitat’s efforts focused on two areas. It worked in scattered sites as part of its own Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. As a partner with the City of Charlotte, it was asked to work in the Windy Ridge subdivision, which had the highest number of foreclosures in the city. The Habitat acquired its first foreclosed home in April 2009 and has since purchased another 35. Its costs average $49,700 to purchase a home and $11,100 for rehab. The sales price for the properties is $66,700 although Habitat has retained ownership of several to serve as rental units for families who are preparing themselves for home ownership.
A significant portion of the Habitat’s rehabilitation work focuses on improving the energy efficiency. The Habitat replaces HVAC systems with energy efficient and Energy Star rated equipment. It regrades the building sites and corrects building mistakes and poor workmanship. Habitat builds storage sheds for each home and plants trees and shrubbery to address the landscaping problems that are common with foreclosed properties.
Prospective home buyers comply with all of Habitat’s traditional requirements, including sweat equity, which home buyers can fulfill by working on other houses or in the Habitat’s ReStore. The option to purchase foreclosed properties has been popular among Habitat’s home buyers, who are able to get amenities that wouldn’t be available in typical Habitat homes, such as vaulted ceilings, upgraded lighting, and homeowner association oversight. In addition, the homes are sometimes larger to better accommodate families with children.
The Habitat tapped into several financing streams to acquire and rehab the properties, including federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding from the City of Charlotte and the NC Housing Finance Agency and a fundraising campaign for the Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.
While its purchase of foreclosed homes has increased, the Habitat continues to build new construction, provide support for families, run its ReStore, and offer rehab for existing Habitat homeowners. The Habitat’s efforts have helped to protect property values while expanding affordable housing options for families with lower incomes.
Contact: Phil Prince, marketing and communications director, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte, (704) 716-7071.
Prosperity Unlimited, Inc., Kannapolis
Prosperity Unlimited has a long history of building affordable homes in older neighborhoods. Five years ago, a pattern of foreclosures in a for-profit developers’ adjacent subdivision spurred it to ramp up its efforts. Foreclosures in the for-profit subdivision were beginning to impact property values of Prosperity’s neighboring homeowners. To protect their property values, Prosperity Unlimited began buying foreclosed properties, rehabbing them and selling them to new clients.
Prosperity Unlimited has acquired 30 homes in the past two years at an average cost of $79,000. It has invested $4,500 to $22,000 per home for rehabilitation, depending on the condition of the home. Prosperity Unlimited makes all the homes as energy-efficient as possible by replacing HVAC systems that are older than eight years, replacing sliding doors, using Energy Star rated appliances, and correcting duct leakages. The refurbished homes sell for an average of $94,000, and the organization has kept some as rental properties for families who are preparing themselves for home ownership.
Prosperity Unlimited used federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds awarded by the NC Housing Finance Agency, as well as funds from HOME Consortium. Prosperity Unlimited is also continuing to build in an old mill neighborhood and is partnering with the City of Kannapolis to build new housing and oversee its downpayment assistance program.
As it has for more than a decade, Prosperity Unlimited also counsels homeowners facing foreclosure, working with more than 400 homeowners in the past nine months, and trains housing counselors across the state in foreclosure prevention. Prosperity Unlimited’s efforts have not only protected their own homeowners from the negative effects of foreclosures, but have leveraged resources to preserve affordable housing stock.
Contact: Louise Mack, executive director, Prosperity Unlimited, 704-933-7405.
Creekside Crossing, Spindale
Creekside Crossing Apartments, situated along the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Spindale, is one of the first affordable apartment communities in the state to be Energy Star certified. This certification means that the apartments meet rigorous performance standards established by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. The developer, Weaver-Kirkland Housing of Greensboro, adopted Energy Star Standards as a way to reduce housing costs for renters with lower incomes.
Thanks to the Energy Star standards and a discount from Duke Energy, residents of Creekside Crossing enjoy monthly electric bills as low as $19. The apartments also feature Energy Star rated appliances, water-saving low-flow toilets and other high-efficiency plumbing fixtures. A stormwater erosion control system ensures that the development is as environmentally friendly on the outside as it is internally.
Creekside Crossing provides 48 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors, ranging from 697 to 905 square feet. Apartments feature covered patios and balconies, lighted ceiling fans, walk-in closets, and washer/dryer hookups. Security features include monitoring of all entrances by closed-circuit cameras. Residents can use a computer center with free internet access, a library, a sunroom, a screened-in porch and a multipurpose room with a kitchen. Outdoor gathering areas include a courtyard with a large picnic shelter, tables and grills. Rents range from $362 to $444.
The development was financed with federal and state housing credits awarded by the NC Housing Finance Agency.
Contact: Mark C. Morgan, vice president, Weaver-Kirkland Housing, 336-378-7900.
Nathaniel Village, Greenville
Nathaniel Village is part of an initiative spearheaded by the City of Greenville to revitalize its downtown area and address housing needs in partnership with the city’s Redevelopment Commission and an advocacy group called “Uptown Greenville.” The Redevelopment Commission purchased key parcels of property and developed criteria for urban infill development that called for larger residential structures that would complement the nearby neighborhoods. Designed to these specifications, Nathaniel Village comprises six “Big Houses” of eight apartments each and provides easy access for residents to downtown amenities and services.
The city partnered with the Landmark Group to develop the affordable apartment development, which was one of the first to be placed in service in North Carolina using “exchange funds” under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The development was one of 36 across the state that had been awarded tax credits in 2007 and 2008 but stalled due to lack of equity investment in the wake of the recession. The “exchange funds” replaced the equity normally invested by the tax credit purchaser so that Nathaniel Village could be completed, saving 150 construction-related jobs and providing homes for 48 low-income families.
Nathaniel Village offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 683 to 1,161 square feet. Apartments are a mix of townhome and garden style, giving the community a single-family home feel. The property includes a computer center, an exercise room, a community building and a playground. Since moving in earlier this year, residents have started a Community Watch Program and a Resident Association and are planning a summer program for children.
The development was financed with a loan from the City of Greenville and federal and state housing credits awarded by the NC Housing Finance Agency.
Contact: Carl J. Rees, urban development planner, City of Greenville, 252-329-4510.
Eisele Home, Statesville
Eisele Home in Statesville provides a much needed, stable, home-like environment for six children who are wards of the Iredell County Department of Social Services (DSS) and who would otherwise have been sent to other counties. It is the third group home developed by Children’s Home of Iredell County (CHIC), and a testament to the power of community involvement, garnering support from the Professional Women in Building, the Iredell County Homebuilders Association, and the Hope at Point Foundation, as well as the town’s fire department and local businesses.
CHIC was created in 1973 because children were being housed in the county jail due to lack of appropriate foster care homes. CHIC allows siblings to remain together and also provides housing for minor parents and their children. Eisele Home includes six bedrooms, a living room, dining room and kitchen and a large recreation room complete with pool table and a flat screen television. A large screened-in porch completes the property.
Thanks to local donations, the home is fully furnished. A local furniture company outfitted the common living areas, and town citizens donated new bedroom furniture so that each child would have a room decorated specifically for them. The state-of-the-art kitchen includes donations of granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and lighting. The local fire department and firemen from around the state installed and tested the sprinkler system.
CHIC ensures that the children receive schooling and any needed remedial education, coordinate medical and psychological services, provide all food and recreational activities and supervise parental visits as directed by the Iredell County DSS.
Eisele Home received funding from the NC Housing Trust Fund.
Contact: Brenda Speece, executive director, Eisele Home, 704-871-2289.
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The NC Housing Finance Agency is a self-supporting public agency. Since its creation in 1973, the agency has financed more than 196,000 affordable homes and apartments. The NC Housing Finance Agency is joining the NC Housing Coalition and the Community Investment Corporation of the Carolinas to sponsor the NC Affordable Housing Conference: Housing Works, Sept. 16-17, in Raleigh. To learn more, go to www.nchfa.com or call 919-877-5700 or 800-393-0988.
