Community and Business Development

The Community and Business Development Department promotes a holistic approach to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Winston-Salem so they can enjoy livable neighborhoods and increase their opportunities for self-sufficiency. Our focus is revitalizing and stabilizing disadvantaged and deteriorating neighborhoods, facilitating economic development opportunities, developing housing and neighborhood revitalization plans and programs that accurately reflect and address local needs and conditions.

• Project We Care letter [pdf] 
  Project We Care form [pdf] 
• Small Business Plan Competition started in January. Competition winner will receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance to start a business. Learn more about the competition. 
• Summer Youth Employment and Training Program RFP [pdf/4p]  
• PARKING ON THE LAWN ORDINANCE [pdf/49kb/3p] 
• 1648 Cherry Street for Sale [pdf/594kb/2p] 
• Neighborhood Associations Program News [pdf/93kb/1p] 
• Programs and Services   
• Customer Service Survey [pdf/113kb/2p] 

Housing Development

The Housing Development Division develops housing and neighborhood revitalization plans and programs that accurately reflect local needs and conditions and the desired strategies and outcomes of our citizens, and coordinates the implementation and administration of these adopted plans and programs.

Business Development

The Business Development Division monitors and promotes economic development opportunities throughout the city utilizing a series of related programs to provide concentrated assistance to targeted areas and groups. We focus on enhancing the quality of life by attracting, creating, and retaining jobs; augmenting the tax base; and assisting small and minority-owned businesses.

Housing Rehabilitation

This program provides financial and technical assistance to qualified owner-occupants and investors to repair substandard properties. In targeted areas, low- and moderate-income owner- occupants are eligible for direct and deferred payment loans, and investor-owners are eligible for direct payment loans to repair single-family dwellings. Investors are also eligible for direct payment loans to repair multifamily properties citywide. Housing Rehabilitation is also responsible for the Emergency Repair Assistance, Architectural Barrier Removal Assistance (Handicap Assistance), the Lead Safe Program and Section 3 Construction Training Program.

Code Enforcement

Provides consolidated enforcement of local ordinances relating to nuisance violations for:

• Housing - to protect public health, safety and general welfare;
• Environmental - to enforce sanitation codes relating to weeded lots, shrubbery, solid waste in yards and curbside trash;
• Animal and Fowl - to enforce the sanitation code concerning animals, shelter and fencing, prohibited practices, and sanitary handling and disposal of manure;
• Abandoned Vehicle - Identification and removal of abandoned vehicles on city streets and private property.

Community Services

Community Services provides relocation assistance to households and businesses displaced by government action and conducts various community outreach and home counseling programs.  Assistance is also provided to the code enforcement officers when they encounter broad neighborhood problems that require citizen involvement in correcting the problems.