WRAL Investigates

Wake County housing program offers thousands in incentives for landlords to increase affordable housing units

Wake County is offering several incentives to landlords to link renters with a unit they can afford based on their income.

Posted Updated

By
Joe Fisher
, WRAL reporter

A new Wake County program is offering thousands of dollars in incentives to landlords who increase the number of affordable housing units.

The pandemic and rising rent have brought the problem into clear focus. With even more people on the brink, the 1,534 people experiencing homelessness in Wake County is a 68% increase compared to 2021, according to Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End Homelessness Executive Director Kim Crawford.

“We all get to be reminded that parts of our community are thriving, but not the entire community is thriving,” Crawford said.

Wake County is short about 400 units — or addresses — for its homeless population, and short more than 50,000 affordable units. The Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as any unit that costs less than 30% of someone’s earnings.

Right now, 82% of low-income households in Wake County are paying more than 30% of their earnings on housing. Wake County Housing Department Division Director Vanessa Kopp said a family of four making 50% of the area's median income can afford $1,200 per month.

The Lease 2 Home, a program under the Landlord Engagement Unit within Wake County’s Housing Affordability and Community Revitalization Department, is offering the following incentives to landlords:
  • $1,000 to cover damage above the security deposit and standard turn costs.
  • Up to two months of rental payments if a unit is vacant for more than 30 days and assistance with new referral placement.
  • $500 for every lease signed, $750 if the landlord accepts a Housing Voucher program.
  • $1,000 for lease renewals.

“Our goal is that more people are leaving the homeless crisis response system than are entering,” Crawford said. “Right now, people are entering and the flow out is so small. It is so small.”

The program is designed to link renters with units they can afford based on their income.

“Even one unit is one more than we had,” Kopp said.

Kopp’s department is hoping to convince landlords to make their units more affordable with its incentives.

“It’s so fascinating to me because the mom-and-pop landlords – the landlords that typically have less than five units – have, to me, the most to lose because their margins are so much smaller but are also the folks that are willing to take the greatest risk,” Kopp said.

The program launched six months ago. As of Aug. 15, 50 landlords have enrolled and 123 are in the process of enrolling for a total of 241 affordable units. It’s a start, but for every one unit, there are three families waiting.

“The thing we have to remember is homelessness is not a character flaw,” Crawford said. “It happens to be a situation you happen to find yourself in.”

In this hot housing market, the county said it relies on landlords being empathetic toward people wanting to get back on their feet.

However, county leaders and staff understand the financial aspect, which is where those incentives come in.

“Our hope is that a property manager or landlord is compassionate to this population,” Kopp said.

The units must be within Wake County to participate in its program.

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