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Congressional, state and local leaders joined the Wilson Housing Authority on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of Eatmon Townhomes, a new public housing project that will meet essential community needs while increasing resilience during future natural disasters. The project was made possible by more than $2.7 million in federal disaster recovery funding provided through the Community Development Program of the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR). To date, the NCORR program has committed more than $71.3 million in funding to projects that will create more than 1,000 affordable rental units, both in public housing and in private multi-family developments in storm-impacted regions of the state.
Located in an area that suffered severe damage from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, the Eatmon Townhomes were strategically built outside the 100-year floodplain, which will decrease the risk of future flooding. The 32 new rental units will replace those lost due to the storms and will allow residents to stay within their community near downtown Wilson. The units are also more energy efficient and less expensive to operate than the 60-year-old units they are replacing.
“Increasing the availability of safe, affordable housing is central to NCORR’s mission of rebuilding in a way that enhances quality of life and increases a community’s ability to withstand future natural disasters,” said NCORR Director Laura Hogshead. “The Eatmon Townhomes project demonstrates how great things can be achieved when government, public housing authorities, community organizations and the private sector collaborate with a unified goal.”
Funding for Eatmon Townhomes was also provided by the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Wilson Housing Authority. In addition to the Wilson Housing Authority and state agencies, project partners included the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, City of Wilson, Stogner Architecture and DanCo Builders.
A division of the N.C. Department of Public Safety, NCORR administers the state’s Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery funds in eastern counties hard-hit by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, as well as areas of Haywood County that were impacted by Tropical Storm Fred. In addition to disaster recovery and affordable housing, the office manages programs that support resiliency, mitigation, strategic buyout, infrastructure, local government grants and loans, and pandemic-related rent and utility assistance. Learn more about NCORR programs and initiatives at: https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/.
Eatmon Townhomes Aug. 18 Event Photos: