Tonight, the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to invest $7 million in 12 projects designed to support our community and help our residents thrive. Local non-profit organizations submitted proposals asking the county for funding for these projects through a competitive process.

“We’re thrilled to apply funds the county received last year from the Wake County Alcohol Beverage Control to these worthy projects,” said Chair Shinica Thomas of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “From helping increase access to healthy food to expanding options to shelter the unhoused, the work these non-profits plan to do will make a significant difference in the lives of our most vulnerable residents.”

Funding Recipients: Impact Fund
Three of the 12 approved projects are receiving financial support through the county’s Impact Fund. It represents $330,300 of the $7 million in ABC funds, which are set aside to support projects proposed by non-profits with 25 or fewer employees and annual revenues of $2.5 million or less.

The commissioners approved the following Impact Fund projects:

• A Place at the Table – $120,600 to launch a food truck, which will visit after-school programs in areas such as Zebulon, as well as shelters and organizations supporting the most vulnerable to provide them with access to healthy meals at no charge. About 75% of the food truck’s traditional business will subsidize the free meals.
• The White Oak Foundation – $173,100 to develop two transitional housing units near Apex and Cary. The foundation’s model supports low-income families, aging adults, veterans and those with experiences not typically prioritized. Construction is expected to begin in June.
• The Women’s Center of Wake County – $36,600 to convert existing space to a “Safe Haven” overnight shelter by building and installing modular beds and storage units. Safe Haven is a form of supportive housing that serves hard-to-reach unhoused women with severe mental illness who have been unable or unwilling to participate in shelter, housing or supportive services.
   

Funding Recipients: Community Capital Program
Nine of the approved projects are receiving funding through the county’s Community Capital Program. It represents $6,669,700 of the $7 million in ABC funds, which are set aside to support projects to build new facilities or renovate or expand existing ones to ensure a useful lifespan of 10 years or more.

The commissioners approved the following Community Capital projects:

• Advance Community Health – $1 million to expand its facility on Capital Boulevard to serve 2,500 new unique patients and an additional 2,000 walk-in patients. Services will include behavioral healthcare, diabetes and nutrition education, and healthcare for the homeless.
• Fertile Ground Food Cooperative – $1 million to develop a community-owned grocery store in Southeast Raleigh. It will provide healthy food options in a food-insecure area of Wake County, use local food supply chains and provide living wage jobs.
• Greenwood Forest Baptist Church – $900,000 to shift the location of its childcare center to create space for DHIC to build an affordable housing project on the church grounds in Cary. The move will expand childcare services from partial-day to full-day operations in partnership with the YMCA of the Triangle. It will also offer childcare to families living in the affordable housing units on the church campus and the surrounding community.
• North Raleigh Ministries – $1 million to turn a 19,300-square-foot building on East Millbrook Road in Raleigh into a Crisis and Development Center. It will offer food assistance, crisis support, guidance on how to qualify for community resources, and programs to help families overcome the cycle of financial stress.
• Rebuilding Together of the Triangle – $930,000 to purchase a 7,700-square-foot building on Chapel Hill Road in Cary to be its permanent headquarters and base of operations. The organization serves low-income homeowners needing help with home repairs across Wake County and surrounding areas.
• The Alice Aycock Poe Center – $887,000 to conduct work on its facility on Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh, including roof repairs, HVAC replacements, restroom renovations, security improvements, theater updates and playground improvements. The center has been a leader in preventative health education for more than 32 years.
• The Joel Fund – $264,000 to support the development of The Joel Center in Rolesville. It includes the purchase of land and renovating an existing building. The vision for the center is to connect veterans and their families with non-traditional services.
• WakeEd Partnership – $155,200 to expand teachers’ access to Tools4Schools, a free classroom supply store. The funds will help relocate the store to a new facility off Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, which is more centrally located. The renovations to the new facility include mold remediation, new flooring and walls, and roof repairs.
• YES Foundation – $533,500 to develop the YES Youth Center, a 9,500-square-foot day treatment facility for youth on Rock Quarry Road in Southeast Raleigh. The center will feature athletic amenities such as a track, basketball court and fitness center to encourage youth in need of services to visit.
   

The Competitive Process
In September 2023, the county initiated a Request for Proposals from non-profit organizations interested in competing for a portion of the $7 million. Sixteen projects totaling nearly $13 million were submitted. An evaluation team reviewed the proposals and recommended 12 to the board for funding.

Next Steps
Each project will enter into a funding agreement with Wake County that will state the use of project funds, conditions of funding, reporting requirements and monitoring to be done for each project. The agreements will also include a clause to remove funds if the projects are unable to proceed to construction, as well as provisions for the repayment of funds if the terms of the agreement are not met or if the project ceases to be used for the purposes stated in the agreement.