Charlotte spent millions on low-income housing, but poor people can’t afford it

By Fred Clasen-Kelly and Julianna Rennie, The Charlotte Observer

Over the last 16 years, the city of Charlotte has spent or committed at least $124 million to build affordable housing. Next month, city leaders will ask voters for $50 million more.

But the money hasn’t helped people like Curtis Simpson.

More than 70 percent of the new rental and home ownership units that the City Council helped developers build aren’t affordable to those most in need — families like Simpson’s whose incomes the federal government considers “extremely low.”

For more on this story, see The Charlotte Observer: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article220180395.html

Main photo credit: David T. Foster III | DTFOSTER@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM Curtis Simpson and his longtime partner, Tameka Boone, said their east Charlotte duplex has roaches, mold and plumbing problems. Simpson wants to move to a new home, but says his $25,500 a year salary as a school custodian isn’t enough for safe and decent housing in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Journalism Collaborative is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems.

Menu