Part 1 of the Humane Housing Network’s Current State Assessment, a data-rich look at Forsyth County’s housing ecosystem and what it takes to move residents from urgency to thriving housing conditions. Drawing on a 260-page draft, years of studies, and new mixed-methods research (35+ interviews, focus groups, workshops), the presentation maps the continuum: emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing, permanently affordable units, and market-rate supply. It centers a “housing as economic mobility” lens and an Urgency → Stability → Permanence → Thriving pathway.
Key takeaways: need is rising while capacity has thinned. Eviction filings hover around 10,500 per year; half of renters and many owners are cost-burdened; and 2024’s point-in-time count found 627 people in homelessness with long waits for placement. Youth homelessness, nearly 1,200 students under McKinney-Vento definitions, remains a red indicator. Meanwhile, the rent-to-wage gap persists (a two-bedroom requires wages well above what many renters earn), starter-home inventory is scarce, and “missing-middle” options are limited.
The talk inventories assets: LIHTC and HUD-assisted properties, public housing and vouchers, reentry and recovery housing, and IDD supportive options, while flagging quality, funding, and expiration risks. An example of the pathway is veteran services (e.g., SSVF and VA-linked supports), which can move people from street to stability to homeownership when resources align. The assessment emphasizes data to coordinate prevention, preservation, and production strategies across public, private, faith, and philanthropic partners.
Most importantly, this is a working baseline for action. Watch the recording of Part 1 to see the walkthrough, visuals, and Q&A and share it with others who care about housing, health, and economic mobility. Then join Part 2 on Wed, Nov 5, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. for the community-engagement findings and priority strategies.
Your voice and expertise matter. Together, we can convert evidence into an action plan that expands opportunity, unit by unit, block by block, across Forsyth County.
Innovative Research Insights 