From Policy to Place: Looking Back at the 2026 Inclusive Housing Summit
On Monday, nearly 300 people joined us at the Friday Conference Center for HOPE NC’s 5th Annual Inclusive Housing Summit, making this our biggest Summit yet.
We are so thankful to everyone who spent the day with us. Each year, the Summit continues to grow because of the self-advocates, families, professionals, community partners, and policymakers who continue showing up and pushing this work forward.
This year’s theme, From Policy to Place, gave us a chance to look at inclusive housing from both sides: the policies and systems that shape what is possible and what it takes to actually put those ideas into practice in our communities.
Starting with Policy
We began the day with Janneke Ratcliffe, Senior Advisor for Housing Policy to Governor Josh Stein, and Kelly Crosbie, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services at NCDHHS.
Janneke walked us through Governor Stein’s Executive Order No. 36 and the work underway to develop a more coordinated statewide approach to housing. Kelly brought the conversation directly to the experiences of people with I/DD and the need to connect housing with the services and supports that make community living possible.
Kelly also set a concrete goal for the coming year: helping five people with I/DD access Targeted Units through North Carolina’s Targeting Program and Key Rental Assistance. It was an important example of moving beyond policy conversations and toward measurable implementation.
The policy conversation continued with members of the North Carolina General Assembly I/DD Caucus, including Senator Jim Burgin, Representative Zack Hawkins, and Representative Sarah Crawford.
One message came through clearly: keep advocating.
Get to know your elected officials. Reach out to newly elected representatives. Invite them to lunch or into your community. Help them learn about inclusive housing and why it matters to people with I/DD and their families.
Our legislators echoed that they want to hear directly from the people doing this work and the people impacted by these systems. As Senator Burgin reminded us, the best ideas come directly from constituents. Building those relationships and continuing to share what is working, what is not, and what our communities need is an important part of creating change.
Moving into Place
In the afternoon, we shifted from policy to implementation and what inclusive housing looks like on the ground.
Our four breakout sessions explored Patuxent Commons and the process of developing an inclusive housing community; HOPE NC’s Community Facilitator model through the experiences of our residents and facilitators; the approaches G House and L’Arche NC are taking to create community for people with higher support needs; and how self-direction can support greater choice and independence in community living.
The conversations looked different from one room to the next, but they came back to the same idea: housing is about more than having a place to live. We have to think about affordability, connection, support, choice, and belonging.
That is what we mean by moving from Policy to Place. We need policies that create opportunities, but we also need implementation that turns those opportunities into homes and communities where people can actually live and belong. Both pieces matter, and throughout the day we were able to see how they fit together.
Thank You for Making the Day Possible
There are so many people who make the Summit possible each year.
Thank you to all of our speakers and presenters for sharing your time, expertise, and experiences with us, and to our exhibitors for giving attendees another way to learn about organizations and resources across North Carolina.
A special thank you to our Platinum Sponsors, Alliance Health and Solstice Partners, LLC, and to all of our other sponsors for supporting this work. We truly could not put this event on each year without you.
Thank you to the Friday Conference Center for hosting us, and most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, made connections, and brought your own perspective into the room.
The Summit continues to grow each year because of this community, and we are already looking forward to what we can build together next year.
See More from the 2026 Summit
We captured so many moments from the day and would love for you to take a look.
[View the full 2026 Inclusive Housing Summit photo gallery here.]