LAURINBURG — The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency has awarded one of five grants to Scotland County which is partnering with Community Action Partnership to provide affordable housing in Laurinburg.
The county is line to receive $9,656,244 to finance the I. Ellis Johnson Multifamily Housing site which will create 55 rental units that will be annexed into the former I.E. Johnson Elementary School, which was recently renovated and repurposed into a community center.
“These grant funds exemplify the County’s unwavering dedication to fostering affordable housing and sustained economic growth within the historic I. Ellis Johnson area,” said SCAP CEO, Ericka Jones Whitaker. “The community is in dire need of affordable housing, and we are deeply appreciative to be a part of this endeavor to uplift this remarkable community. At the heart of our mission lies the commitment to empower the individuals we serve, and we firmly believe that one of the most impactful ways we can achieve this is by providing high-quality, affordable housing to this community.”
The project also plans to use funding from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency through its Supportive Housing American Rescue Plan program and bank loans to complete the project in partnership with the Southeastern Community Action Partnership.
“This third round of affordable housing funding is particularly exciting because five local and tribal governments are first-time recipients of the long-term disaster recovery housing grant program,” said Michele Wiggins, NCORR housing opportunities manager. “The funds will play a critical role in replenishing single and multifamily units damaged and destroyed by past storms.”
Local and tribal governments were encouraged to apply for financing for single-family homeownership development or multi-family housing rehabilitation of new construction outside of the 100-year floodplain. The funds will be used to increase the availability of safe, affordable housing in areas of the state that experienced major damage from hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
Eligible counties include those that were federally- and state-identified as most impacted and distressed (MID) due to Hurricane Matthew and/or Hurricane Florence.
The Affordable Housing Development Fund Program is supported by North Carolina’s HUD Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery funding for hurricanes Matthew and Florence and Tropical Storm Fred. It is one of multiple housing programs overseen by NCORR through its Community Development Office, which also administers the Multifamily Development Fund, Public Housing Restoration Fund and Infrastructure Program. In addition to disaster recovery and affordable housing, the office manages programs that support resiliency, mitigation, strategic buyout, infrastructure and local government grants and loans.
SCAP is a member of the North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) and the National Community Action Partnership dedicated to providing resources to help improve living conditions and deliver opportunities to vulnerable individuals and families. Founded in 1964, SCAP serves Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Hoke, Pender, Robeson, and Scotland Counties.