OPENINGABrandNewlocationSOON! Detailscomingsoon!

with mental health challenges.

Newer Sources Of Funding

The shortage of affordable housing in and around the county has been a thorn in the side of housing advocates and end-users for some time. With an influx of families arriving from outside Wilmington and driving up housing prices, and with the supply of land growing scarcer and inflation biting pocketbooks, the cost of housing has put a squeeze on many renters.

Pre-pandemic, more than 50% of all renters in New Hanover County considered themselves cost-burdened, with housing-related costs standing at more than 30% of income, according to an American Community Survey study

When commissioners chose not to put a $50 million housing bond before the voters and instead committed to a five-year, $15 million general fund plan, the disappointment of housing advocates was palpable. But with Campbell’s 68-unit project and an 84-unit development on Gordon Road each receiving $1.5 million from the general fund, public opposition may

Hopes for new affordable housing also got a boost when the New Hanover Community Endowment awarded its first grants in December. The private foundation awarded a total of $974,800 for six affordable projects, including Campbell’s senior housing.

“We know that more access to affordable housing reduces intergenerational poverty, improves overall health and safety and increases economic growth, both individually and collectively,” said a statement from William Buster, CEO and president of the endowment, who noted that affordable housing reaches across all four of the foundation’s strategic areas

In New Hanover County, Campbell said, “I think the attitude toward affordable housing has shifted in a more positive way.”