North Carolina Housing Finance Agency Wins Three National Awards

Press Contact Only:

Margaret Matrone, NCHFA, 919-877-5606, 


RALEIGH--The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency won three awards for excellence at the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ annual conference in Boston, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2. In a field of 53 state agencies and 168 award entries, NCHFA won awards for its rental rebuilding program after Hurricane Floyd, its web-based Fair Housing Self-Evaluation Test for rental properties, and its strategic design for its newsletter and annual report on achievements.

The Agency’s Flood Rental Rebuilding Program financed 1,031 rental apartments in eastern North Carolina and created a temporary rent assistance program that allows 700 low-income families to live in market-rate apartments for two years. By accelerating its 2000 tax credit awards in flood counties, the Agency got new rental developments underway in December 1999, even while it worked with others in state government to assess needs and draw up the state’s rebuilding plan. The Agency’s early success helped North Carolina gain a special $25 million federal appropriation for flood relief.

The Agency’s online Fair Housing Construction Plan Review and Self-Evaluation Test allows apartment mangers to determine whether older properties comply with federal Fair Housing requirements. NCHFA staff negotiated a grace period with the N.C. Fair Housing Center to allow any necessary corrections to be made. The program also includes architectural reviews and inspections to ensure that new properties meet the federal requirements, safeguarding the investments of developers, builders and NCHFA. 

The Agency’s "bite-sized" approach to its newsletter and annual report incorporates photography, color and brevity to earn the attention of busy readers. Instead of a traditional annual report, the Agency has developed a colorful brochure and one-page newsletters—each focusing on a single topic, such as housing for the mentally ill or partnerships with local governments—to discuss the wide variety of affordable housing financed by the Agency.

The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is a self-supporting public agency. Since its creation in 1973, the agency has financed more than 118,000 affordable homes and apartments for North Carolina citizens.

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