CLT Has Met Less Than Half of 5,000 Affordable Housing Goal

CHARLOTTE, NC — In response to the protests and riots after a CMPD officer shot and killed Keith Scott last September, Charlotte City Council promised 5,000 affordable housing units in three years.

As of Monday, the city has met less than half of that goal.

WCCB Charlotte spoke to people in the middle of that housing crisis.

Developers bought the Twin Oaks apartment complex in NoDa where Caroline Cunningham lived.

Everyone had to be out Monday morning.

“I would have never though it would happen to me,” said Cunningham.

She’s homeless now. She is staying at a motel.

Before work, she takes the bus to find an apartment she can afford.

“They’re telling the older people, even them, you got to make three times the rent, but you know the government pay them a certain amount of money,” said Cunningham.

During the protests and riots following the officer-involved shooting of Scott, protesters pointed out disadvantages in African American communities,
affordable homes bulldozed for luxury apartments. A Harvard University/UC Berkeley study says Charlotte ranked 50th out
of 50 in economic mobility among the largest U.S. cities. To see the city’s response, click here.

“You can understand the frustration if your child was born into a place where there was not enough opportunity to get ahead,” said Julie Porter.

Porter is President of the non-profit called The Housing Partnership.

Her team is helping city council reach its goal of 5,000 affordable units.

Right now they’re at 2,200.

The problem is money.

“What we should be finding is corporations and financial institutions who are coming to the table much more robustly and saying we’re part of the solution,” said Porter

There are tax incentives for those that do help.

Covenant Presbyterian Church donated $2 million to a project on Freedom Dr.

Plus, $15 million of your taxpayer
dollars go toward affordable housing every two years.

“Those housing trust funds are nearly tapped out,” said Porter.

Studies show that should be $50 million for a goal like 5,000.

Porter points to studies that show Charlotte 34,000 affordable units.

The Housing Partnership says the apartment complex at Statesville Ave. at Brightwalk is considered mixed income. There are more than 400 affordable units there, but there’s a two year waitlist to get one.

Cunningham says that’s the norm.

“It’s hard. Its stressful,” said Cunningham. “You still got to still get up and go to work and do your same routine.”