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It seems like everyone is agreed that something must be done, that Orange County is losing an integral part of our character, as we become a wealthy bedroom community. But for all of our talk, our concern and our studies, we are losing ground. And it's going to get much, much worse. Here are a few statistics from 1998: the average sales price of a home in Orange County was $209,320 rental vacancy rates were 1.6% and the average 2-bedroom apartment rented for $720 a month over 70% of UNC students lived off campus-more than the population of Carrboro UNC is expected to increase enrollment by 6,000 students over the next ten years and employ an additional 2,000 faculty and staff. There's clearly a market for homes under $120,000, but no developer will build a home for that when the same amount of time, work and money could bring in $250,000. We have to figure out how to make it profitable to do the right thing, and this means incentives, compromise and density. And if we want to preserve existing affordable neighborhoods we have to make it expensive for investors to convert single family homes into student rentals. Students drive the rental market and scarcity drives up the prices. The people most affected by this problem are working class families who cannot even afford to rent a home or apartment in our community. For the last two years, students have spent the first semester living in dorm lobbies. Of course the University is promising a "bed for every head," but this is from an institution that has built one dorm in the last thirty years. What were they doing for the last 20 years as neighborhoods like Northside and Pine Knolls were being decimated by investors filling a need that the University ignored? And you may have noticed that the recent discussions about the Horace Williams tract are about high-tech business development, not student and faculty housing. The University has a big responsibility here and we have to hold their feet to the fire. Several neighborhoods have become de facto dorms as investors capitalize on the lucrative student rental market. Take a stroll through Northside: all the houses you see with gravel front yards are student rentals. Walk down Brooks Street and you'll see that over half of the homes there are rentals. Even the parts of downtown that used to be "off-limits" are now ripe for the picking: Johnson Street, Broad Street, Sykes Street and Carr Court. As we talk about the need for affordable housing, investors are buying up our existing working class neighborhoods. What good does it do to build ten new "affordable" homes a year when 12-15 are lost to investors? The impact on these neighborhoods and on Orange County is profound. These communities are losing more than just homes, they are losing a way of life: privacy fences separate neighbors, gravel lots replace front yards, and homeowners are replaced by transient renters. And as these traditionally African-American neighborhoods disappear, our whole community is losing the diversity we hold dear. It's going to take a commitment from the entire community if we are to succeed in preserving our communities. Here are a few things that we can do: Encourage local governments to do more to protect our fragile downtown neighborhoods. Not just Northside, but Pine Knolls, Carr Court, Lloyd Street and Lincoln Park. Strong measures must be taken to slow down the gentrification of these communities, such as restrictive zoning overlays and regulation of rental housing. Push for an on-going revenue source for affordable housing. Most of the money spent on affordable housing in Orange County is federal pass-through funds that have to be spent on affordable housing. Orange County's Housing Bond is a step in the right direction, but let's allocate a penny of every property tax dollar for affordable housing. Urge the state legislature to dedicate a revenue source for the NC Housing Trust Fund, a proven, effective program for delivering decent and affordable housing. Defend the Community Reinvestment Act. In this era of mega-mergers we must defend the federal legislation that has forced banks to lend to minority families. This year, we can expect trouble from HR 10, which could help banks get around the CRA by moving financial services out of banks and into other affiliates not subject to the CRA. Support local non-profit developers who are working hard to make sure that the people who work in Orange County can afford to live here as well. Fighting market forces is hard enough, but dealing with NIMBY attitudes and limited funding is even worse. Volunteer, make a donation and tell local governments, churches, and other institutions: Put your money where your mouth is. by Maxecine Mitchell, EmPOWERment, Inc. A previous version of this article was published in the Chapel Hill News