A Workforce Housing

1
Action ResearchCase Study

• A Workforce Housing
• Study in North Carolina
• Presented by NCACDC

2
Presentation Objectives

• Learn about NCACDCs mission and lines of
  business
• Understand the factors that led us to the need
  for a workforce housing study
• Understand why we use the term workforce
  housing

3
Presentation Objectives

• Understand the components and outputs of our
  action research strategy
• Learn about the benefits of the action research
  strategy

4
NCACDCs mission

• To strengthen the North Carolina economy and
  build a better tomorrow for all North Carolinians
  by enhancing community development corporations
  (CDCs) as they build prosperous communities.

5
NCACDCs Lines of Business

• Policy, Research and Measurement
• Organizational and Development Services
• Communications/Messaging and Marketing/Branding
• Leadership Governance and Staffing

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The making of a perfect storm

• Raleighs News and Observer features a series of
  articles about the explosive growth of North
  Carolinas mainland coastal communities1.
• NCACDC participates in DEMOS2 training
• Little evidence of any well conceived,
  comprehensive strategy or public policy that
  addresses the lack of workforce housing

7
The making of a perfect storm

• An affiliate member requests assistance
• NCACDC desires to facilitate action research to
  leverage learning and obtain data for the
  community economic development industry

8
The term workforce housing

• Helps to change the mental frame and attitude
  of NIMBYism
• Created a cohesion for the diverse coalition that
  was assembled
• Recent national and state studies that focuses on
  related workforce housing needs 3
• Allows the possibilities to broaden the
  constituency base

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Components of our strategy

• Use academic based research from a credible
  source
• Create a collaborative process
• Use messaging to frame the issue which assists
  in building and maintaining a broad base of
  constituents

10
Components of our strategy

• Expand and involve constituency of other
  workforce associations
• Create documentable evidence as a basis to effect
  policy change

11
Outputs of the strategy

• Raw data
• A data driven report
• A Toolbox of strategies
• Formation of the ad-hoc committee of workforce
  associations
• Report debriefing event at the NC General Assembly

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Benefits of action research

• Changed the perception of need for workforce
  housing in Brunswick County
• Showed that we and other partnering workforce
  associations had a common platform for policy
  change
• Facilitated modifications of Brunswick Countys
  unified development ordinance

13
Benefits of action research

• Established a strong working relationship with an
  academic institution
• Learned that similar studies would still need to
  be tailored to the members needs and expectations

14
Referenced websites

• http//www.demos.org/page76.cfm
• http//www.newsobserver.com/1233/
• http//www.uli.org/Content/NavigationMenu/MyCommun
  ity/UrbanInitiatives/WorkforceHousing/Workforce_Ho
  using.htm
• http//www.nhc.org/housing/policy-groups

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For more information contact

• NCACDC
• (North Carolina Association of Community
  Development Corporations)
• 3109 Poplarwood Ct., Ste. 209 Raleigh, NC 27604
• ph 919-831-9710
• Susan Perry Cole, President/CEO x101
• sperrycole_at_ncacd.org
• Brigette Rasberry, Vice-President/COO x107
• brasberry_at_ncacdc.org
• Thyron Williams, Program Officer x114
• twilliams_at_ncacdc.org