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Action Agenda for the Common Good

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Staff

Editor’s note: The following document was presented at the delegates’ assembly for the newly formed Orange County Organizing Committee. The assembly, held last Sunday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, brought together dozens of churches and other religious organizations along with elected officials and local social and housing service agencies to study a series of proposed strategies and actions aimed at improving the social and economic well being of Orange County residents.

ACTION AGENDA FOR THE COMMON GOOD

Over the past year, the Orange County Organizing Committee has engaged hundreds of people in conversations about the most pressing issues impacting their families and the dreams they have for themselves and their communities. The problems that were felt most passionately and surfaced most consistently revolved around: healthcare, education, living wages, immigrant families, affordable housing and the environment. Research Action Teams comprised of leaders from a diverse mix of faith, education and other non-profit institutions developed the following proposals after hundreds of hours of discernment and research in each area. The Vision Statements and Action Proposals that follow were adopted by the O.C.O.C. Steering Committee and will guide the organization’s action agenda in the coming months.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

There is a severe affordable housing crisis in Orange County. Many renters cannot afford Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment. The crisis is particularly acute for renters in the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Buying an affordable home is even more difficult. A large percentage of area families cannot afford a modestly priced house — one priced below 75 percent of the houses in the surrounding area. The otherwise considered “affordable stock” is rapidly eroded by attractive development plans that target families with high earnings. That is the case of the Glen Lennox proposed development plans.

Critical to tackling this growing problem is the development of a clear understanding of the local market in terms of affordable rentals and affordable housing. Grassroots citizens must be part of the conversation with Developers and the Town Government about the way the town should and will look like. Solutions must be comprehensive and require the sustained collaboration among Orange County, Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina. Non-profit, for-profit and faith-based communities should be at the table of conversations.

Actions: (1) Town of Chapel Hill should work closely with Glen Lennox residents to ensure the Neighborhood Conversation District designation process is completed, “affordability” is preserved and gentrification is avoided.

(2) The Town of Chapel Hill should sponsor a comprehensive study of the affordable rental and homeownership market opportunities and threats in Chapel Hill in the next 10 years.

LIVING WAGE

The shift in recent decades of North Carolina’s economy from a manufacturing economy to a more service-oriented one has eliminated many good jobs available to modestly educated people. This vacuum has left two types of jobs: high-paying jobs that require substantial education and low-paying jobs that require little education. As a result, there are increasing earning gaps in Orange County. In addition, due to the high cost of living in Orange County, many people are unable to find a full-time job that pays enough to allow them to afford a modest rental unit or home within the community.

In Orange County, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $796. A unit is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30% of the renter’s income (US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development). To afford this level of rent, without paying more than 30 percent of income on housing, an Orange County household must earn $2,553.33 monthly or $31,840 annually. Assuming full-time work, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $15.31 (National Low Income Housing Coalition). A Housing Wage is defined as the minimum hourly wage that will allow a worker to afford the FMR in their community while paying less that 30% of their income for housing (National Low Income Housing Coalition).

In Orange County, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $6.15. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 100 hours per week, year-round or a household must include 2.5 minimum wage earners working full-time. In Orange County, the estimated average wage for a renter is $10.21 per hour (National Low Income Housing Coalition). To afford the FRM for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage, a renter must work 60 yours per week year-round or, working 40 hours per week year-round, a household must include 1.5 worker(s) earning this wage.

Actions: (1) The Town of Chapel Hill should consider adopting a Housing Wage policy covering all full time employees and contracted workers.

(2) The Town of Carrboro and the Orange County Board of Commissioners should consider reviewing their current wage policies for full time employees to ensure compliance with the proposed Orange County Housing Wage rate.

IMMIGRANT FAMILIES & HEALTH CARE

Several occupants of area apartments (majority immigrants) have reported living in substandard housing conditions and in some cases the landlords have taken advantage of them. Apartments are often found in violation of the minimum housing code. The cost of repairs is sometimes passed onto already economically challenged tenants.

Actions: The Orange County Organizing Committee calls the Mayor of Carrboro to work with O.C.O.C. to create a Task Force that will deal with these issues in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

We believe that no community should bear the disproportionate risk and impact of environmental policies in Orange County. O.C.O.C. has joined forces with the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA/Coalition to End Environmental Racism (CEER) to reverse the decision of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to place a regional solid waste transfer station (SWTS) in the Rogers-Eubanks community.
Action: The Orange County Organizing Committee calls for the placement of the solid waste transfer station outside the Rogers-Eubanks community.

EDUCATION

The Achievement Gap for children in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro schools has been discussed by many of the families connected with our organization. Achievement disparities among students are better tackled when School Districts work closely with diverse, organized parents and students. There is a rich history of community involvement in education in this area. However, a vehicle is not in place that unites parents of different languages and ethnicities to work for a better education. The coming together of diverse sectors of the community is a critical first step in the work of creating a common agenda that supports public education, while developing accountability between schools and the community.

Action: The Orange County Organizing Committee will work towards bringing all interested constituencies together. All groups will develop a joint sense of their common interest and history and will work to develop a joint set of priorities and strategies that will later be tested in public conversation with the local School Boards.

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