Aug. 30, 2016

Chris Jackson came from Goodwill. Caroline Chambre Hammock came from the Urban Ministry. But that’s not what they talked about.

What they talked about is how agencies, governmental units and individual volunteers are working toward meeting the need of people and families needing secure housing, job training, job placement and better health.

And both agreed on this: The individuals and families seeking assistance are NOT, in the main, from someplace else. They are longtime, sometimes generations-long, residents of the Charlotte region, including Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

The Goodwill website is here.  The Urban Ministry Center website is here.

Below is a video from the live stream of this morning’s Forum. The Forum was called to order at 2:56. Presentations began at 10:23. Questions begin at 41:50.

The Forum then heard from three elected officials: Mayor Jennifer Roberts (at 1:15:00); N.C. Sen. Joel Ford (at 1:17:46) and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham (at 1:20:21). All responded to the presentations and the need for disparate government agencies and nonprofit actors to work together on the issues raised.