In response to COVID-19, Cary launched two new housing and social service programs to support residents in need. Following a series of meetings with local stakeholders and residents, Cary created the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Emergency Food Assistance Program. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program helps prevent eviction of Cary residents due to impacts of the pandemic while the Emergency Food Assistance Program provides hot meals and fresh produce to families through a network of churches and nonprofit organizations. These new programs are in partnership with two local nonprofits, Dorcas Ministries and Kirk of Kildaire, and the activities are funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. 

Cary staff stepped up continued efforts this quarter to encourage residents to complete their census. At the time of this report, 79.8% of Cary households responded. Community outreach efforts included:

• Placing 1,780 temporary census yard signs, starting with more than 750 signs along public greenway trails, in parks, on Wake County school property, at multiple apartment complexes, and on sites where business owners had agreed to display signage. Six temporary staff members were recruited to place an additional 1,000 signs along North Carolina Department of Transportation right-of-way. The remaining signs were distributed to staff members who placed them in their front yard.
• Hosting “Census Stations” in conjunction with Project PHOENIX mask giveaway events at Mobile Estates and the Arbors at Cary apartments. IT provided two iPads so staff could provide onsite assistance to those who had not yet completed their census. 
• Attending two food distribution events at Cary Pines Apartments to include census literature with care packages.
• Using social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to share updates about the census.
• Direct communication with apartment complex managers and property owners to convey the legal requirement for providing resident information to census enumerators.

New single-family permits for Q1 totaled 200. Overall, permits for new single-family homes were up 17% this quarter compared to Q1 of FY 2020. The top three subdivisions permitted were Brickyard (39), Savaan (28), and Channing Park (23). 

There were 207 single-family certificates of occupancy issued in Q1, an average of 2.3 certificates per workday. This is a 7.6% decrease in comparison to the COs issued in Q1 of FY 2020 and a 7% decrease in comparison to the average COs issued in FY 2020. The subdivisions that issued the most COs were Savaan (29), Brickyard (27), and Courtyards at Kildare Farm (22).

Residential alteration and addition permits for Q1 totaled 447. This is a 9.5% increase from Q1 of FY 2020 and a 34% increase from Q4 of FY 2020. This increase in permits for existing homes is consistent with the theme of reinvestment in existing properties in the Imagine Cary Community Plan.