July 30, 2024
Tuesday’s Forum involved more than an hour of information-sharing about how various groups are helping Charlotte-area homeowners afford to stay in their homes or get help arranging for and affording critical home repairs.
The last question of the day, however, cast the entire hour in a different light. That last question was from Willie Ratchford, a city employee since 1975 and for decades the executive director of the city’s Community Relations efforts.
“Do we have an affordable housing problem or is it a wage problem?” Ratchford asked.
Ratchford would likely be the first to acknowledge that the city faces, not an either/or situation, but a both/and situation. And in her reply, Mecklenburg Community Services Manager Shakirah Francis said as much.
And while Charlotte’s improved standing in the latest Chetty study (up from 50th to 38th, with Atlanta now 50th) suggests some improvement in the fundamentals of upward mobility in the city, the needs in the city, as ticked off by Tuesday’s presenters, are staggering. Listen to the video below for details.
Only a handful of the many groups focused on housing issues were present Tuesday. There were no groups focused on low wages. Perhaps another group will tackle the challenge raised by Ratchford’s question.
Tuesday’s presenters were:
- Shakirah Francis, Mecklenburg Community Services Manager of HOMES.
- LaToya Faustin, Executive Director of She Built This City.
- Kim Oliver, Director of Community Engagement for Canopy Housing Foundation (Realtors Who Care).
- Miles Vaughn, Strategic Partnership Development Manager at Charlotte Neighborhood & Business Services.
- Beth Morrison, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte.