HOMES Program Property Tax Relief Expansion Announced

Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte announced a major expansion of the Helping Out Mecklenburg homeowners with Economic Support, or HOMES, program, scaling the local property tax relief fund to $12.1 million as rising home values sent tax bills climbing for longtime residents. The expanded program aimed to keep lower-income homeowners in their homes at a moment when the wider Charlotte region was drawing national attention for fast price growth.

What the Expansion Does

The HOMES program provides one-time grants to qualifying homeowners to offset the property tax bill each year. The expansion changed the program in several important ways:

• Total funding grew significantly. The program launched in 2020 with only $250,000, climbed to about $358,000 the following year, and then jumped to $12.1 million after Charlotte joined the county as a major funding partner.
• Grant sizes increased. City of Charlotte residents became eligible for grants of up to $660, while residents in the county outside the city limits could receive up to $426.
• Coverage extended further. Town of Davidson residents became eligible for an additional local grant, allowing layered support for qualifying owners in that jurisdiction.

The grant does not reduce the property tax bill itself. Instead, it provides a direct payment to eligible homeowners to help cover what the bill would otherwise cost.

Why the Expansion Was Needed

Mecklenburg County's property revaluation drove the urgency. Assessed values climbed steeply across the county, including in neighborhoods where long-term owners had seen home values multiply in just a few years. For fixed-income residents, especially older adults, the new valuations translated into tax bills that were difficult to absorb.

A single-family home that sold for roughly $636,000 in 2018 appraised for more than a million dollars in the newer cycle. Even when tax rates fall in response to higher valuations, long-settled homeowners can still see their bills rise if their property's value climbed faster than the average.

Eligibility

To qualify for a HOMES grant, applicants needed to meet several criteria:

1. Residency and ownership. The home had to be the applicant's legal primary residence and owned by the applicant for a minimum period before applying.
2. Income limits. Household income could not exceed 80% of the area median income. At the time of the expansion, this was near $79,750 for a family of four.
3. Tax status. The property had to be current on taxes, or taxes had to be addressed as part of the application process.
4. Application window. Homeowners had to apply during the open application period, with extensions offered as needed to spread word about the funding.

Applicants submitted proof of income, identification, and property ownership information.

How the Program Was Administered

Mecklenburg County's Department of Community Resources administered HOMES, coordinating with the City of Charlotte and the Town of Davidson where relevant. Applications could be submitted online or at county locations. Once approved, the grant was issued to the homeowner rather than applied directly to the tax bill, giving families flexibility in how they used the funds.

The application window ran for multiple months, and leadership extended deadlines when application volume came in below funding levels. In one cycle, more than $10 million of the $12.1 million remained unspent midway through the window, prompting county leaders to push outreach aggressively through community partners, faith organizations, and neighborhood associations.

The Broader Relief Landscape

HOMES is one of several tools available to Mecklenburg County homeowners struggling with property taxes. Others include:

• State Homestead Exclusion. Reduces the taxable value of a home by $25,000 or 50%, whichever is greater, for qualifying seniors and people with permanent disabilities.
• Circuit Breaker Property Tax Deferment. Lets qualifying low-income seniors and people with disabilities defer a portion of their property tax.
• Disabled Veteran Exclusion. Provides an exclusion for the first $45,000 of the appraised value of the primary residence for qualifying veterans.
• Town of Davidson Tax Assistance Program (DTAP). Layered on top of HOMES for Davidson residents.

Many homeowners who qualified for HOMES also qualified for one or more of these programs, and program staff often helped applicants understand which combination would deliver the most support.

Lessons From the Rollout

The 2023 expansion showed both the promise and the limits of large property tax relief programs. More money meant more families could be helped. But the persistent gap between available funds and applications received pointed to an ongoing outreach challenge. Residents who qualified often did not know the program existed, or feared that applying would expose them to other government scrutiny. Trusted community partners became essential to reaching those households.

Takeaway

The HOMES program expansion was one of the more significant local responses to a property tax pressure problem that is showing up in fast-growing cities nationwide. For eligible Mecklenburg homeowners, it meant meaningful cash back to offset tax bills. For other cities watching the model, it showed how city and county partnerships can stack local dollars on top of state exclusions to meaningfully help working-class homeowners stay in place.