Chapel Hill Offering Help to Those Displaced By Development

The proposed Parks Apartments housing redevelopment on Ephesus Church Road would displace current renters at the 191-unit property. But now the town has a new way to assistant those residents.

Town Manager Maurice Jones recently approved the use of $64,000 from the town’s affordable housing reserve for the Housing Displacement Assistance Program.

In an email to the Town Council, Jones said the program responds “to an immediate community need,” while the town continues to work towards a long-term housing preservation strategy.

Mayor Pam Hemminger said the town has been working with property managers and the residents who will be displaced if construction moves forward on Ephesus Church Road.

“Everyone is working together to find other places for them to be that have the same accessibility to schools and jobs and transit and all those things.”

Qualified applicants for the housing displacement program must be from households earning less than 80 percent of Area Median Income, and new housing must be located within Chapel Hill town limits. Those eligible can receive help on the immediate fees associated with moving into new housing, like the security deposit and utility connections fees.

In addition, the new program partners with the Community Empowerment Fund to help displaced residents find new housing options.

Residents who are interested in applying for assistance should contact the Community Empowerment Fund at 919-200-0233 or ch@communityef.org.

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