Enlarge Pat Mumford, Mayor Anthony Foxx, Maria Hanlin, and Michael Marsicano engage in a Q&A session.

Posted: August 30th, 2010 Jarvis Holliday

The need for additional affordable housing--and where it should be built--has been a hot topic in Charlotte over the last several months. Most people agree that building housing low-income people can afford is a good thing. They just don’t want it in their neighborhoods. 

This year alone, communities such as Ballantyne and Ayrsley have successfully kept developers from building affordable housing units in their neighborhoods. Residents held protests and attended City Council meetings to voice their opposition against zoning changes that would’ve allowed the construction to begin.

But leaders with Mecklenburg Ministries and the City of Charlotte believe many people are basing their feelings and decisions against affordable housing on misinformation—that when affordable housing is built in neighborhoods, property values go down and crime goes up. So the nonprofit organization, made up of 90 area congregations, partnered with local government to present a Clergy Lunch on Affordable Housing last Thursday at Covenant Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. In addition to a well-prepared meal, the hour-and-a-half gathering also included a talk by Mayor Anthony Foxx and a presentation by Pat Mumford from the city’s Neighborhood and Business Services department. 

“What are the moral, ethical, and spiritual issues that are at stake when we have people who work 40 hours a week, who work hard, and can’t afford a place to stay?” asked Maria Hanlin, executive director of Mecklenburg Ministries to kick off the luncheon.

Attendees learned that many of the people who are in need of affordable housing, defined as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s monthly income, aren’t just sitting home collecting government assistance. They bag our groceries at supermarkets, wait on our tables at restaurants, handle our luggage at the airport; they also sit next to us in our congregations. 

The faith community has long served the needs of the poor and underprivileged—now they need to get involved in the public policy arena on affordable housing, said Michael Marsicano, president and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas. 

“We wouldn’t be as far along on these issues if it wasn’t for the houses of worship,” Marsicano said. “But I believe the stars are aligning to where more people are beginning to care. This recession has caused many people to lose significant amounts of wealth through no faults of their own. It’s beginning to change their perspective on the homeless.” 

City officials estimate that there are as many as 15,000 people seeking affordable homes in Charlotte, but the city is adding only about 500 units each year for low-income residents. And affordable housing, once often referred to as “projects” where entire neighborhoods of poor people were clustered together, isn’t what it used to be. Leaders cite the success of recent mixed-income developments in Charlotte such as Arbor Glen and The Park at Oaklawn. 

In September, City Council will determine whether to revise its Housing Locational Policy, which was created in 2001 to provide a guide for the financing and development of new affordable housing. It’s expected to be a well-debated issue, and events like this luncheon give government officials and the community a forum for discussion.

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