Why Foundation Matters

A solid foundation is more than just physical. It’s emotional, social, economic:

• Stability to plan ahead: When someone isn’t worried about whether they’ll have a place to stay tomorrow, they can focus on work, education, healthcare, reconnecting with family, or recovery.
• Health benefits: Secure housing reduces exposure to health risks (weather, pests, unsafe environments), improves mental health, and ensures better access to sanitation, nutrition, and health care.
• Economic opportunity: Affordable housing provides stability to secure  employment and  reduces financial stress, letting people keep more of their income for essential needs.

Safety: Physical, Emotional, and Legal

Housing access isn’t just about having a roof. It’s about having one that is safe and supported.

• Physical safety means  habitable units free from hazards that are appropriately sized for the households occupying them. 
• Emotional safety comes from knowing there are people and programs that will help you retain housing.
• Legal safety involves clear leases, fair treatment, and a clear understanding of the rights and responsibilities of tenants and housing providers.

How Housing Collaborative Is Making Real Impact

• Through a partnership with A Home For All , a community-wide initiative to end and prevent homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Housing Collaborative is a key partner, focusing on recruiting property providers with incentives so that more units are available to folks facing housing instability. 
• The NOAH (Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing) Program helps people with very low incomes live in quality rental housing by bridging the affordability gap and preserving existing affordable units. 
• Housing Collab works to assist households displaced by disasters, hotel closures, or property ownership changes. Intensive housing location assistance is provided in such displacement cases. 
• To remove financial barriers, Housing Collab helps households referred to us by our partner agencies with security deposits and application fees, and works to mitigate risk for housing providers to accept tenants who might otherwise be excluded. 

If you want to support or partner:

• Housing providers interested in being part of the solution and ensuring their properties are occupied can partner with Housing Collaborative. There are incentives and support built in to make working with tenants easier. 
• Donations help with fees, deposits, and other upfront costs that can be a barrier to securing housing. Even small amounts (e.g. for application fees) can make a difference. 
• Advocating is also an important way to get involved. Vote for local housing bond referendums, and support approval of proposed affordable housing developments in your neighborhood. Our work is strengthened when the community supports affordability and inclusion. 

A home is more than a line on the budget – it’s the base from which so much else becomes possible. Foundation. Safety. Belonging. For people experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness, gaining access to affordable, stable housing changes everything.

The post Foundation, Safety, and Belonging: The Real Impact of Housing Access appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Whether you’re a family seeking a safe place to live or a partner interested in working alongside us, here’s how to get started searching for housing  in our community:

If you’re seeking housing:

There are some great resources online:

• Visit www.affordablehousing.com and add your location to the search box, then go from there.
• Go to www.zillow.com and click Rent in the top left corner. You can communicate with property providers through the site, and even choose the filter Accepts Zillow Applications to pay one monthly fee to apply to multiple properties.
• Several reputable property management companies have property search features on their websites. Here are just a few:
  • SL Nusbaum – https://slnusbaum.com/property-search/multifamily/
  • LSA Management – https://lsamgmt.com/communities/
  • Dynasty Property Management – https://www.dynastymgmt.com/charlotte-homes-for-rent 
• Although Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists are often closed, Housing Authorities also manage properties that may have openings. Search online for your local Housing Authority and visit their website for information about properties they own/manage.

Remember: never share personal information or send money sight-unseen. If something seems suspicious, it probably is a scam. You can verify a property’s ownership utilizing sites like https://polaris3g.mecklenburgcountync.gov/. 

If you are experiencing homelessness or are about to lose housing:

If you live outside Mecklenburg County, call 2-1-1 (or 1-888-892-1162).

If you live in Mecklenburg County, Coordinated Entry (CE) is the front door to our community’s homeless response system. Call Coordinated Entry at 704-284-9665.  Leave one voicemail with your name, number, and a brief reason for calling as multiple voicemails can slow things down. A team member will return your call within a few days to ask basic questions about you and your household.

Additional resources:

• Crisis Assistance Ministry (rent & utilities/emergency needs in Mecklenburg County): 704-371-3001
• Landlord-Tenant Mediation: Mecklenburg County Dispute Settlement Program
• Fair Housing concerns: 704-336-5160 (City of Charlotte)
• Legal help: Legal Aid of NC 866-219-5262

For community partners & property providers:

Housing Collaborative is always looking to work alongside property owners, managers, nonprofits, and housing agencies. Connect with us at housingcollab.org to explore partnership opportunities that support placements, reduce vacancy loss, and keep units stable.

Programs and eligibility can change. If you have questions about partnering or need help getting started, visit HousingCollab.org.

The post Affordable Housing Resources in Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Where to Start appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Charlotte, North Carolina – October 9, 2024 – Today Housing Collaborative has been named an official partner of the A Home For All initiative, led and managed by United Way of Greater Charlotte. The partnership focuses on increasing affordable housing opportunities for the Charlotte community by launching a large-scale campaign to recruit more property providers through a combination of recruitment and retention incentives.

A Home For All is a community-wide initiative uniting over 170 partners to address the complex systemic issue of homelessness. Their efforts aim to support the estimated 3,000 unsheltered individuals in Mecklenburg County, where an additional 25,442 housing units are needed for those earning 30% or less of the area median income. There are four pillars inside the framework of A Home For All and this partnership is focused on the upstream priority of increasing production of additional affordable housing units. This $1.5 million investment aims to centralize recruitment and retention of property providers and to increase the number of property providers who will accept households with subsidies and other housing barriers through the use of dedicated incentive fundings. The investment builds on the work Housing Collaborative already does with a goal of securing 600 new units in Year 1.

The funds invested in this partnership by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will go toward Housing Collaborative’s efforts:

• Housing Provider Recruitment and Retention: dedicated funding source for incentives regardless of tenant subsidy or program type. Offer housing provider incentives and risk mitigation support funds, and marketing to support Housing Collaborative’s efforts of reaching this goal.
• Assistance for Households: create unit utilization workflows, quickly pay application fees, facilitate lease-up and assist with lease renewals as needed.
• Data Reporting and Impact Measurement: create a public dashboard, administer surveys, develop program guidelines, and adhere to monthly reporting requirements to measure success.

“We’ve been committed to expanding access to housing for twenty-five years and we’re pleased to have been selected as an agency partner tasked with meeting the A Home For All goals,” said Housing Collaborative CEO Tara Peele. “The affordable housing shortage is a complex problem requiring multifaceted solutions. Our specialty is facilitating long-term, supportive partnerships with property providers who will work with us to offer stable housing for our neighbors in need. In 2023, we brought on 108 new housing provider partners and helped place over 300 households, and the goal of this partnership is to double that outcome. We’re so excited to have the United Way of Greater Charlotte as well as the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County behind us so we can expand our efforts, see even more impact and continue to change the narrative of housing in our city.”

“United Way is proud to announce the partnership with Housing Collaborative and to begin the implementation of the Property Provider Recruitment and Retention initiative,” said United Way of Greater Charlotte’s Interim President & CEO Kathryn Firmin Sellers. “Housing Collaborative’s work here will create more affordable housing opportunities which builds toward our larger effort of ending homelessness. This work is key to achieving the priorities outlined in A Home for All.”

For more information about this partnership or the A Home For All program, please visit ahomeforallmeck.org.

Relevant Resources

•  A Home For All
• A Home For All: Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Strategy To End And Prevent Homelessness
• A Home For All: Implementation Plan
• June 2024 Housing Data Snapshot

About A Home For All

A Home For All, led by United Way of Greater Charlotte, is a community-wide initiative that addresses all aspects of housing instability and homelessness to ensure every individual and family has a stable roof over their head.

About Housing Collaborative

Housing Collaborative is a Charlotte-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and second chance employer whose mission is to make affordable housing easier to navigate. Since its founding as Socialserve in 1999, the organization has evolved and expanded its services but remained steadfast in its commitment to facilitating access to housing. More info: https://housingcollab.org/.

About United Way of Greater Charlotte

United Way of Greater Charlotte uses collective giving to advance economic mobility and racial equity, primarily through neighborhood-based, grassroots and responsive solutions. For more information, please visit www.unitedwaygreaterCLT.org.

###

Housing Collab Media Contact: Lindsay Harden
Black Wednesday lindsay@blackwednesday.co

A Home For All/United Way of Greater Charlotte Contact: Cassie Boesch

United Way

cboesch@unitedwaygreaterclt.org

980-422-5585

The post Housing Collaborative announced as official A Home for All partner appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

By sharing industry updates, information impacting affordable housing and our own stories, we aim to spread knowledge and awareness of current affordable housing news. Catch up on our latest press pieces, mentions and news coverage as our professional housing navigators work to continue our mission.

Rebrand

Previously known as Socialserve, newly-rebranded Housing Collaborative strives to continue the same reliable, trusted services for housing placement by professional housing navigators as they always have.

• National Affordable Housing Nonprofit Rebrands to Clarify Mission

WCCB Charlotte, Local Today

• ‘Housing is foundational to a person’s success’ | Housing Collaborative gives landlords financial incentives

WCNC Charlotte, Carolina Journalism Collaborative

• Charlotte nonprofit has new name but same affordable housing mission

WSOC-TV, Yahoo News, NewsBreak

Features

A glimpse into homelessness in the area and what specific activations Housing Collaborative is doing to address the problem. 

• “No Place to Call Home” Special

WBTV

• Charlotte woman once homeless moves into apartment after WBTV story

WBTV

Call for Housing Providers

The community is losing housing faster than we can build it up, and the demand for housing providers who are willing to accept rental subsidies is greater than ever before. 

• Charlotte agency needs more landlords with rental subsidies

WFAE 90.7, WCNC Charlotte 

Local Assistance

Housing Collaborative continuously steps in when local displacement issues arise in the Charlotte community.

• Charlotte’s full coverage of hotel fees for seniors displaced after flooding ending Tuesday

WCNC

• Displaced seniors hotel stays extended; Charlotte nonprofits address housing needs.

The Charlotte Observer

• A south Charlotte motel closes, leaving dozens without a home

WFAE 90.7

• Some ‘Tent City’ residents who found permanent housing could soon be homeless again

WCNC Charlotte

• City Council suports affordable housing preservation in East Charlotte

City of Charlotte

The post Housing Collaborative in the News appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

In Mecklenburg County, we are losing more housing options than we can build back up: over 2,500 residents actively need homes from providers who accept vouchers. Housing Collaborative consistently works to bridge the gap between these individuals and property providers, but we need help! We are committed to helping residents succeed, and property providers hold the key to our residents’ futures; this is why we offer providers special incentives and on-demand support to ensure that these individuals are STAR residents throughout their time in households.

Incentives to partnering with us:

• $1,000 signing bonus per unit leased with Emergency Housing Vouchers
• $500 lease renewal bonus
• Risk mitigation funds to compensate for any property damage
• Hands-on assistance from application through inspection, lease-up, and renewals
• Ongoing support throughout tenancy

Our Housing Placement and Retention Teams offer hands-on support, a partner support portal for real-time payment updates, a Housing Partner Support Line, and proactively connect with property providers monthly to address any problems that may arise. Maintaining a partnership with Housing Collaborative means a multitude of benefits to providers:

• Filling units promptly with no advertising spend 
• On-time rent and deposits payments 
• Incentives for voucher and subsidy programs
• Ongoing housing support for residents AND property providers

Our 89% success rate in housing retention truly speaks for itself. 

If you are a housing provider willing to accept housing vouchers and are interested in working with Housing Collaborative, contact us to learn how to become a partner. Existing partners: thank you for your continued support! 

Learn more about current housing displacement news in the Charlotte community:

• Magnolia Senior Center: Nonprofit helps displaced seniors whose apartments were flooded after pipes burst
• Econo Lodge on S.Tryon Re-zoning: Residents have no place to go after Econo Lodge rezoned for new development
• JT Williams Community Purchase: How an investor plans to flip a low-income Charlotte neighborhood, double rents and make millions

The post Calling All Housing Providers: We have a $1,000 signing bonus for you! appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Here are a few areas to be extra attentive to when looking for housing:

Landlord Behavior

• A trusted housing provider communicates clearly and appropriately throughout the entire process. They should be willing to talk to you via phone or in person and readily available to show you the property before you commit. 
• It is also important to screen the housing provider yourself using online resources. We recommend searching their name, reading reviews of their existing properties, and checking public records. These records allow you to locate any previous complaints, foreclosure statuses, or criminal activity that may not have been disclosed to you beforehand. For Charlotte-specific residencies, we refer to the Mecklenburg County Property Records site for landlord searches. 
• Search the property address online – if it is posted on more than one website with different information, the scammer is likely just presenting someone else’s property as their own.
• If someone representing themselves as a landlord will only communicate with you via text, insists on you sending funds via CashApp or similar, pressures you to pay immediately, or tells you to just “drive by the property” because they are out of state, don’t proceed.

Payment Methods

Oftentimes, the most substantial scams that can arise from affordable housing searches are related to payments. A landlord should never ask you to: 

• Wire money
• Send your payment through an app
• Share your credit card information with them

A valid lease or application should be completed before any payment is submitted; this can protect you from sending money you may never be able to get back.

Trusting Your Instincts

You have your own best interest in mind, so trust yourself when things feel wrong. Visiting a property or communicating with your housing provider should be a secure and pressureless situation. We recommend undergoing research outside of the housing listing to ensure the “deal” you are being offered isn’t too good to be true. If the property is listed on multiple platforms and with different contact information, take extra precautions to ensure the residence and housing provider is legitimate. 

The post How to Avoid Scams When Searching for Housing appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

From incarceration to full-time employment:

“While incarcerated, I spent most of my time planning how I was going to get back out into the world and get back on my feet. I gave myself a goal date and I continuously revised this plan of action up until my release.

But the one factor I did not spend a lot of time on, however, was employment.

Having had several years of gainful employment under my belt and a college education, I figured getting a job would be the easiest step for me. Boy, was I wrong. 

In fact, I became so desperate for work that I started accepting offers for jobs that I am sure I was over-qualified for – jobs that offered pay that could barely support my transportation, let alone provide me the means to take care of myself and my young son.

I was referred to Housing Collaborative by an amazing case worker at Mecklenburg Reentry who saw first-hand my struggle to find employment that was not only sufficient for maintaining my household but that fulfilled my passion to give back to the community.

This company saw me for what I could offer, not the smudge on my background report. 

Housing Collaborative’s belief in second-chance employment is absolutely the number one reason I enjoy working for this company as much as I do.”

• J, Housing Collaborator since September 2020

From Prison to outstanding team leader:

“In August of 2010, I was released from Federal Prison to a halfway house with the obligation to seek employment. Finding employment was part of my requirement in order to remain in the halfway house which is the bridge between prison and home. If I was to work successfully, I could continue the program from home but the problem, as I was convicted of a felony, no one would hire me.

 I applied for jobs at every local restaurant, agency, and warehouse with no luck.

I spoke to one of my friends at Housing Collaborative who said, ‘we will be hiring a new training class in October.’ Happy was an understatement. When I began working, which I had not done on the outside of prison, I finally felt like I belonged back in society. I finally felt like I was doing the right thing. I was no longer selling drugs and tearing up the community but contributing. I knew I wouldn’t disappoint with this opportunity. I held on and tried to overachieve just to be appreciated, not knowing that I was already appreciated.

Having a second chance allows you to explore the new well-developed version of yourself. It gives you the opportunity to show others that you can and have changed for the better. 

Working here was a start to a new life, a new beginning, a new me. After working here for almost 12 years, and assisting others with their needs, I not only feel a part of the organization but appreciated!”

• T, Housing Collaborator since October 2010

The post Staff and Client Impact Stories appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Here is a look at some of our most notable partnerships in the area:

DreamKey Partners 

In 2020, we as Socialserve joined forces with DreamKey Partners to create and administer a rent assistance program for Covid-effected households. The RAMP program was originally funded with 500k through local Covid-19 response funds, and has since delivered over $115M in assistance to date. Through this partnership and quick activation, we have been able to help residents retain housing and support property providers by ensuring rents were paid. This program would not be possible without aligning with DreamKey Partners, who reviews the applications for rent and utility assistance. Our role in the partnership as the distributor of approved payments has increased the number of property providers working with our housing placement program from 20 pre-pandemic to over 200 today.

United Way of Central Carolinas

The local chapter of United Way led the creation of Charlotte’s first collaborative Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs, which partner supportive service agencies with Housing Collaborative to quickly secure housing for households experiencing homelessness. At this time, 227 households have been placed through the program. This collaboration has allowed us to further position ourselves as both a key facilitator of housing access, and an administrator of ongoing rental subsidies.

Ascent Housing

In late 2020, we partnered with Ascent Housing, a platform of Ascent Real Estate Capital that is committed to preserving Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) properties. Ascent acquires NOAH properties using Housing Impact Fund financing, and keeps these options affordable by setting aside a percentage of units for households earning at or below 30% of the Area Median Income.  Through this partnership, we’ve expanded our properties for placement and match households to these set-aside units while also paying their rental subsidies. Through this partnership, Ascent has set aside 77 subsidized units across 4 properties for our referrals, and recently secured City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County support to acquire and preserve a fifth NOAH property, Peppertree Apartments.

We are proud of the impact we’ve had on the Charlotte community and our effort to provide housing solutions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. We look forward to expanding our local partnerships with organizations that share our mission.

Together, we strive to create a world where everyone can see a path home.

The post Partnership highlights appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Will has been homeless for two years. Recently, he’s been sleeping in a crawl space under a home near Uptown Charlotte.

He shouldn’t have been on the streets for so long. Last year, Will qualified for a federally funded Emergency Housing Voucher, given to vulnerable populations like those who are chronically homeless. The vouchers are distributed by Inlivian, Charlotte’s Housing authority.

Will and his caseworker Ed Smith, who works for the non-profit Running Works, spent months calling hundreds of different property owners. But because the affordable housing supply is so low in Charlotte, no one would accept his voucher.

Despite one door being slammed in his face after another, Will kept pushing.

Read the full story about Will Howard at wbtv.

The post Will Howard now has his own place to call home. appeared first on Housing Collaborative.

Our country has faced many challenges over the past few years – increased living costs and housing rates have greatly affected an already tested population. More and more people are being displaced due to big businesses buying properties and implementing higher rents – while also reducing housing stock for potential homeowners.

Affordable housing often seems elusive and difficult to change or support, especially at an individual level. At Housing Collaborative we are making it easier for YOU to make an impact on this housing crisis. Through our landlord relationship management work, we offer individualized support for property providers of all levels.

Here’s what we have learned by working with housing providers:

1. A dedicated point-of-contact for issues related to program-connected tenants is highly desired
2. Hands-on assistance during lease-up makes working with subsidy programs easier
3. Minimizing vacancies and payment delays through quick payments and inspections is critical

As a landlord, a partnership with Housing Collaborative means:

• Open Communication
  Having a middleman to minimize risk and disruption to property operations, and to stay in communication with services providers.
  • I think the organization goes beyond the call of duty in terms of helping individuals…they take a personal interest in the client. Anybody has an opportunity to make a mistake. My thing is you should always give individuals a second chance.
    Randy Freeman, Freeman Enterprises
• Placement Support
  Keeping a steady stream of income with our tenant placement services. We supply your empty rentals with vetted tenants. Our online Housing Accelerator tool allows you to check the status of inspections and payments in real-time.
• Management Assistance
  We work with agencies to secure monetary support guaranteeing payments and rental subsidies are accurate and timely. We coordinate inspections and touch base with you at least monthly to help resolve tenancy concerns.
  • The Housing Collaborative has been wonderful. Since working with them, we’ve been able to fill vacancies with high-quality tenants.
    Michael Morings, Dynasty Property Management

Becoming our partner can make a giant impact on someone’s path forward. Contact info@housingcollab.org to learn how you can support our work as we try to turn the housing crisis around.

More resources on the current housing crisis:

• Record inflation deepens America’s affordable housing crisis
• Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Affordable Housing, But Were Afraid To Ask
• A Home for All: Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Strategy to End and Prevent Homelessness

The post Affordable housing and what you can do to help. appeared first on Housing Collaborative.