Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Digital Branch
THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF THE CHARLOTTE JOURNALISM COLLABORATIVE WEBSITE
Visit Our New Website

I Can’t Afford to Live Here | An in-depth look at Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis

Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, WCNC-TV

Author: WCNC Staff
Published: 10:01 PM EDT September 14, 2019
Updated: 10:35 PM EDT September 14, 2019

I can’t afford to live here | An in-depth look at Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis

 

Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis didn’t happen overnight. In fact, Charlotte has a history of broken promises and missed opportunities that led us here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — By many accounts, Charlotte is as vibrant as ever. The Queen City is recognized as a great place to raise a family and start a business.

But there’s a growing problem that’s putting it all at risk: the affordable housing crisis.

Charlotte needs 34,000 affordable housing units to meet the demand of its population. That’s nearly double the number from a decade ago, and it’s a complex problem created by the city’s own success.

To give you some perspective, local rents have climbed 45% since 2010. A person making $20 an hour would need to work 60 hours just to make enough to pay one month’s average rent. And that doesn’t include whatever is taken out of your paycheck. Approximately 46,000 people in Charlotte pay more than half of their income to rent; experts recommend paying no more than 30%.

Read more

 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

More Stories Like This

About The Project

Solutions Journalism Network launched the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative in 2019, a partnership of six major media companies and other local institutions focusing on issues of major importance to the Charlotte region. The collaborative is supported by $150,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its $300 million commitment to rebuild the future of local journalism, essential to a functioning democracy.

The Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC) is modeled on the Solutions Journalism Network method of investigating and reporting news with a primary focus on solutions to community problems. “At a time when local journalism jobs are disappearing and trust in media has hit an all-time low, the Solutions Journalism Network has taken on the challenge by organizing collaborative journalism reporting projects that promote excellent reporting and civic dialogue. the model has the potential to be part of a new wave of great local reporting, which is vital to building strong communities,” said Karen Rundlet, Knight Foundation director for journalism.

Read More

Menu