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as rehabilitating older structures to provide more affordable housing. This activity also <br />serves to maintain the housing stock. <br /> <br />The City of Concord Housing Department contains 174 public housing units and serves <br />another 446 families through Section 8 certificate programs. There are currently 190 <br />families waiting for access to the Section 8 program. Elderly persons are served through <br />these programs as well. (City of Concord Housing Department, as of September 21, <br />2001) <br /> <br />Cabarrus County also serves two types of persons with disabilities. The two groups are <br />those that require assisted housing and financial assistance and those who require no <br />financial assistance. North Carolina building code attempts to address this issue with <br />multifamily units. Any project containing more than eleven units must meet special <br />standards. The standards require that 2% of the units must be constructed to <br />accommodate handicapped individuals. <br /> <br />Barriers to the use ofresoumes by members of protected groups include the cost of land <br />and housing. Additionally, the lack of knowledge about housing programs by protected <br />groups is a barrier. These barriers can be addressed through several activities. Cabarrus <br />County is participating in housing rehabilitation programs for low-income persons, <br />thereby, expanding their housing choices. Cabarms County perfomis handicap <br />accessibility improvements to keep the elderly and disabled persons in their homes. This <br />action also increases the housing stock available to handicap persons. Cabarrus County is <br />also dispersing and distributing information on fair housing programs. Multi-lingual Fair <br />Housing pamphlets have been made available at government offices, libraries, and <br />financial institutions. Fair Housing Advertisements have been run on the local cable <br />access channel, the Cabarms County Website, and will soon be run on a local radio <br />station. A TDD number is used for handicap accessibility to public services. Cabarrus <br />County provides a van service to elderly and disabled residents. <br /> <br />Employment and Transportation. In 1990, the US Census reported that most of the <br />jobs in Cabarrus County were goods producing, manufacturing, textiles or service <br />producing. Major employers in the County included Pillowtex and Northeast Medical. <br />In 1980, over 20,000 people worked for the textile industry, but by 1990, that number <br />was cut in half and since 1990 the textile industry has suffered even greater losses. The <br />increase in the service market indicates a switch in the economy as well as transportation <br />habits. Much of the growth that Cabarrus County has incurred in the last twenty years <br />was residential. Cabarrus County has become a bedroom community of Charlotte, <br />however, recent commercial and industrial growth is changing that role. Transportation <br />patterns have changed drastically as well. Between 1980 and 1990 the number of <br />communities going from Cabarrus to Mecklenburg County has doubled. (1980 and 1990 <br />US Census, See Appendix B) <br /> <br />New traffic patterns create a reliance on transportation. Commercial establishments have <br />begun to move to the suburban areas where the new development is located. These <br />patterns have affected the low to moderate-income families adversely. These patterns <br /> <br />Page 6of22 <br /> <br /> <br />