CMS partners with builder, developer to create the first teacher village for affordable housing

CHARLOTTE, NC – Despite the high prices and limited supply of homes, officials from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are working to make housing more affordable for teachers through the At Home in CMS Program. The first teacher village is under construction now.

Linwood Green, math teacher at Mint Hill Middle School will be one of the first residents in the new development.

“When it comes to home ownership, that’s just one of my goals,” Green said. “I moved into an apartment from a townhouse to be able to save a little bit of bread.”

Now, thanks to At Home in CMS, Green was able to secure financial assistance to purchase his first home in Dukes Ridge. Three bedroom, two and a half bathroom townhomes start at 284,000 in the development in the Westerly Hills neighborhood. Green says prices are much higher everywhere else.

“Something old probably cost you about $600,000 over there…something built in the 70s,” Green said. “Home ownership is a gateway to wealth and generational wealth and one of the the greatest transfers of wealth is through real estate.”

Nancy Brightwell, Chief of Recruitment, Retention and Talent Development says the district surveyed teachers about their needs and found many say they struggle to secure affordable housing. At Home in CMS offers homeownership, rental and financial literacy for teachers.

“In many cases, our teachers who aren’t able to live here in Charlotte are having to either commute long distances to and from work, or they’re holding down 2 to 3 jobs just to be able to afford a place here in Charlotte,” Brightwell said. “Being able to address housing situations that offer better alternatives and solutions for them tells them that we care about them, we’re invested in them. We want them to stay and contribute to Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and our students and it allows them to be their best selves for our students.”

Between federal housing grants, and city home ownership assistance, some teachers will qualify for tens of thousands of dollars in financial support to buy a home. CMS partnered with True Homes, Freedom Communities and Dream Key Partners to bring this idea to life.

“They have stepped up generously to dedicate at cost, well below market, dedicated housing solutions such as this and so that cost nothing to the district,” Brightwell said. “We continue to advocate for increased salaries for our teachers, but really we’re taking a by all means approach with anything we can do to put more money in our teachers pockets. We want to leverage our community partners and bring this to fruition for our teachers and educators.”

Green says his new home will offer stability and equity which will lighten his load at home and in the classroom.

“I think that overall, just that security to be like, all right, we live here,” Green said. “I don’t necessarily have to feel like, oh, I got to figure out what this looks like for me next year or next summer, or figure out the next two or 3 or 4 summers, which is what I’ve been doing.”

There are still some townhomes available here.