Our mission is large; our vision, even larger. It takes passion, dedication, and the help of some truly amazing organizations to make a difference in the effort to end and prevent homelessness. We’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some high-impact organizations right here in Charlotte, NC.
Here is a look at some of our most notable partnerships in the area:
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.
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.