Affordable housing can conjure fears and frets about the condition of neighborhoods, surrounding property values and neighborhood safety. It is a need that the broader community often misunderstands and would prefer to keep out of sight. Yet this is the very center of that which affordable housing seeks to provide – the opportunity for those who serve in a community, to live in that same community.
As a means to launch a greater discussion on the issue, Crossroads Charlotte, Mecklenburg Ministries, and Temple Beth El will premiere “Souls of Our Neighbors," at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Wells Fargo Auditorium at Knight Theater.
By examining the rising problem of homelessness and struggles of the working poor in our community, the 28-minute documentary aims to demonstrate the need for affordable housing and how both the availability or insufficient availability impact the entire community.
The film profiles a number of local families directly impacted by the accessibility of affordable housing and offers a glimpse into the realities of how and why residents find themselves in a battle against homelessness.
Keep Reading
Deanna McCain said she wants to start a photo album of events her neighborhood association puts together. Jaquisha Fisher was just having fun hanging out with her cousins and giggling over a plate of chicken and rice.
And all 9-year-old Lindrina Ray wanted was to have her picture taken.
They were among the 50 or so folks, old and young, who attended the first Enderly Park Neighborhood Association Holiday Ball on Saturday, Dec. 17. The two-hour event was at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center at 2921 Tuckaseegee Road.
The goal of the event was to bring younger and older people together for food and fellowship, said Darryle Williams, neighborhood association president. The center provides programs for the elderly and for youngsters, but rarely do the two come together, he said. “The Holiday Ball is intended to bridge that gap between older and younger people in our community,” Williams said.
Keep Reading
Deanna McCain said she wants to start a photo album of events her neighborhood association puts together. Jaquisha Fisher was just having fun hanging out with her cousins and giggling over a plate of chicken and rice. And all 9-year-old Lindrina Ray wanted was to have her picture taken.
They were among the 50 or so folks, old and young, who attended Saturday’s First Annual Enderly Park Neighborhood Association Holiday Ball. The two-hour event was held at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center at 2921 Tuckaseegee Road. The goal of the event was to bring younger and older people together for food and fellowship, said Darryle Williams, neighborhood association president.
The center provides programs for the elderly and for youngsters, but rarely do the two come together, he said.
“The Holiday Ball is intended to bridge that gap between older and younger people in our community,” Williams said.
Enderly Park was a recent recipient of a Crossroads Charlotte Achieving Community Today Projects grant. A.C.T. Projects grants are designed to fund small initiatives that will connect people across lines of difference. Members of the community submit ideas, and the public decides which will get funding by voting on Facebook. The winners receive up to $500 to implement their projects.
Keep Reading
This month the Front Porch Grants program kicked off the new season with a breakfast at The Light Factory to honor the 23 organizations that have received funding for the 2011-2012 cycle. The Front Porch Grants program, named to represent the simple gathering place of our neighborhood front porches, funds programs that increase trust, build bridges across differences and expand social connections and informal networks by building relationships. Grants of up to $2,500 are used to support the creation of small-scale gatherings that build social capital by exchanging ideas, experiences or actions. Crossroads Charlotte provides the framework for Front Porch Grants.
Over the next seven months, these 23 organizations will use limited funding to create impactful events that result in meaningful relationships and strengthen our diverse Charlotte community.
Keep Reading
rss
Enlarge
Posted: December 17th, 2011 Lee Howard
