A Place To Call Home
A place to call home is the foundation for a productive life. As our city grows, it must create housing opportunities to include all members of our community -- from hourly workers and service providers to young professionals.
What makes housing affordable? Affordable housing costs no more than 30% of your gross income.
- For a preschool teacher or cashier earning $8/hour, rent costing $400/month is considered affordable.
- For a bus driver or home health aide earning $25,000 a year, rent of $625/month is considered affordable.
- For a software engineer or new attorney earning $80,000/year, housing costing $2,000/month is affordable.
Below are some of successful Stan Greenspon Center initiatives. To support those organizing to expand affordable housing in our community, contact Rabbi Judy Schindler to learn more.
Faith In Housing: An Initiative for Congregations to Create Affordable Housing
Supporting our Greenspon leaders in expanding affordable housing
We aim to train and equip students and community members with the political education and practical skills to effectively organize for social justice in their individualized contexts. James Lee, a Greenspon leader in working to prevent displacement in Grier Heights. Here are some of his reflections no working with the Center:
“Charlotte is building for the hundred people moving here every day even through the pandemic, but we are not building for the thousand people who can’t afford to live here and can’t afford to leave.”
“In Grier Heights, we are like a shrinking island. How can we get partners who are willing to help us design and create our own land trust to protect our own - those who built their homes here and deserve to live out their lives here?”
“Working with the Greenspon Center has allowed me to step up the chain of command and to get to the tables of power in our city.”
James Lee, Greenspon leader working to prevent displacement in Grier Heights,
2019 to present.
To support James and his affordable housing organizing in Grier Heights contact jblee612016@gmail.com.
Using our voices for advocacy - Initiatives making a difference
The Stan Greenspon Center along with our coalition partners successfully organized to win the following:
- Expanding short-term rental subsidies. $2.7 million for A Way Home in the 2018-19 City Budget.
- “Hold 30% for 30%.” 20% of units funded by housing bonds are now required to be set aside for under 30% AMI plus the possibility of an additional 10% units subsidized by vouchers and/or third party rental subsidies.
- Grassroots participation: In August of 2018, the Housing Charlotte Framework was approved by the City Council. Learn more about our platform for the $50 million housing bond referendum that passed in November 2018 clicking here.
- In May of 2019 our Affordable Housing team began meeting with County Commissioners one by one to present ideas, strategies, and concerns regarding the 22,000 unit shortage of those earning under 30% AMI.
Hearing the voices of those who benefit
Souls of Our Neighbors was created by Crossroads Charlotte, MeckMin, and Temple Beth El of Charlotte, North Carolina. To purchase the entire documentary contact meckmin.org.
