The Dwelling Place is a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Continuum of Care which is the planning body managing the system of care serving people who are homeless in Forsyth County, NC. We work in close partnership with City with Dwellings, the Empowerment Project, the United Way, and housing case managers across several agencies to identify and meet the housing needs of our community experiencing homelessness. Though we share a heart for mission and the population with partner agencies, the rehabilitation and regeneration of affordable housing is unique to The Dwelling Place.

 

While partner agencies work tirelessly to navigate the complex housing voucher process, their work is moot without available

low-income housing stock. According to NewAmerica.org research, Forsyth County experiences a housing loss rate almost three times higher than the national average without collective strategies to negate the impact on our low-income neighbors. While programs like the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) do exist, they are unable to generate enough housing to meet the critical need. In the last decade, LIHTC has only added 1,148 units of affordable housing to the inventory due to the complicated and expensive construction process and the bureaucratic pieces of tax credits, investors, and poor city infrastructure. 

 

The work of The Dwelling Place works with creativity and with the investment of the whole community to address this critical issue, while avoiding the complex barriers of federal programs. While the need is substantial, this grassroots initiative with the flexibility of community partnerships and property owners/investors is able to make a significant dent in the identified need.