The Elizabeth City Housing Survey, 2023

Thank you for taking our survey! Your responses will help us plan Fair Housing and other community development activities. Please read each question carefully!

Additionally, if you have comments about Fair Housing that aren't captured in the survey, please feel free to email them to jhawley@elizabethcitync.gov.

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* 1. What is your household size?

8 or more

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* 2. Please accurately complete the following sentence about your household: My household includes ___________.

One or more minor-age children but no senior citizens

One or more senior citizens but no minor-age children

One or more minor-age children and one or more senior citizens

No minor-age children and no senior citizens

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* 3. What is your race?

American Indian

Asian

Black/African American

Latinx

Multiracial

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

White

Other/Prefer Not to Disclose

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* 4. Are you Hispanic?

Yes

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* 5. Are you a renter or owner of your primary residence?

Renter

Owner

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* 6. Suppose you needed to rent a place to live in Elizabeth City. How would you rate your options?

Excellent – there are quality rental options for almost all lifestyles and budgets

Average – there are quality rental options for some lifestyles and budgets

Terrible – There are few quality places to rent, and they’re hard to get

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* 7. Suppose you needed to buy a house in Elizabeth City. How would you rate your options?

Excellent – there are quality houses to buy, matching almost all lifestyles and budgets

Average – there are quality houses to buy, but they match only some lifestyles and budgets

Terrible – There are very few quality houses to buy, and they’re expensive or otherwise hard to get

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* 8. If money was no object, where in Elizabeth City would you most like to live? Choose the region below that is closest to your answer.

Northern Elizabeth City (near Knobbs Creek Rec. Center & MACU)

Downtown (Between Road Street and Water Street)

Southern Waterfront (Between Southern Ave. and Rivershore Road)

Near W. Main or Church Streets (northern/central Elizabeth City)

Near Walker and Roanoke Avenues (southern/central Elizabeth City)

The Tanglewood and Stockbridge areas (Halstead Extended)

Near Parkview Drive or Edgewood Drive (north of/behind ECSU)

Near Weeksville and River Roads (southeastern edge of City, near Coast Guard Base)

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* 9. Does your household spend more than a third of its income on housing payments?

Yes

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* 10. What is the biggest challenge to quality, affordable housing in Elizabeth City?

Housing costs are excessive (compared to surrounding communities)

Housing costs are reasonable, but available jobs pay too little

Lack of housing supply due to poor upkeep/maintenance to existing properties

Lack of housing supply due to lack of new, affordable construction

Housing discrimination (being turned away due to race, sex, religion, disability, etc.)

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* 11. To improve Elizabeth City’s quality and availability of housing, what is the best action the City could take?

More aggressive condemnation/demolition of dilapidated structures

Stronger enforcement of minimum housing standards, so property owners make repairs/renovations

Targeted outreach to property owners in distressed areas, including identifying potential financial resources

Directly offer financial incentives to promote repairs or new construction, such as small grants, reduced permitting/development fees., etc.

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* 12. In the last 5 years, have you ever experienced housing discrimination in Elizabeth City? (Such as being turned down for housing, or a housing loan, due to race, religion, sex, disability, etc.)

Yes

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* 13. How large a problem is housing discrimination in Elizabeth City?

It’s a very large/widespread problem

It’s a limited problem – there are a few “bad apples” to avoid

It’s little to no problem

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* 14. What do you believe is the most common or likely grounds of housing discrimination in Elizabeth City?

Race/Color

Religion

National Origin

Sex/Gender Identity

Familial Status (being a family with children)

Disability

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* 15. Who do you feel is most likely to commit housing discrimination?

Individual/small landlords (such as those renting a second home)

Apartment Complexes

Banks/lenders (such as by refusing loans or providing bad terms)

Real estate brokers

Homeowners’ associations or condominium boards

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* 16. If you experienced housing discrimination, how would you likely respond to it?

I would pursue corrective action, including filing a Fair Housing complaint or lawsuit, until I won

I would seek corrective action, but only for a few months -- better to just find another landlord, lender, etc.

I would not seek corrective action because it would be a waste of time

I would not seek corrective action, but only because I would fear retaliation, such as eviction. (NOTE: Such retaliation is illegal.)

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* 17. What would best combat housing discrimination in Elizabeth City?

More City or non-profit assistance with filing Fair Housing complaints

“Fair Housing Rights” outreach/workshops for renters, homebuyers, landlords, etc.

More housing options (so it’s easier to move away from discriminatory housing)