Kenny Robinson, of Freedom Fighting Missionaries, participates in the Innovation In Affordable Housing panel discussion at Charlotte Journalism Collective’s Affordable Housing Impact Summit, held within WFAE Headquarters in uptown. Photo by Grant Baldwin for Charlotte Journalism Collaborative.

‘I feel like I have a shot at life, at happiness’ | Nonprofit seeking solutions to housing for the formerly incarcerated

September 2, 2023

by Lexi Wilson, WCNC-Charlotte

There are challenges for those coming out of incarceration. After being released, many struggle to find housing. This can prevent them from staying out of jail.

A woman who lived on the streets for more than two decades has gone from homeless to housed.

She finally has a place to call home, as the nonprofit Freedom Fighting Missionaries seeks solutions to help formerly incarcerated people get a roof over their head. “I love it here,” Chinara Emerson said.

Inside her new home, she finally has stability. “We were pretty well off when I was a child,” Emerson said. “As my mom got older, my mom got sick, and it became very difficult and ever since then, it’s been a downpour of problems.”

That downpour of problems wasn’t just about being homeless. It was about spending time behind bars too.

“I’ve done a lot to try and survive,” Emerson said. “Pretty standard stuff when you don’t have anywhere to live, you get in fights, you sell drugs to make money.”

There are challenges for those coming out of incarceration.

“It does something to your mind that makes you feel like you deserve it,” Emerson said. “It’s very harsh.” After being released, many struggle to find housing. This can prevent them from staying out of jail. “I just wasn’t fitting any particular program and everywhere I would go they would tell me no,” Emerson said.

That is, until Freedom Fighting Missionaries said yes to Emerson.

“It’s their backgrounds that are hindering them from safe, affordable housing,” Kenny Robinson, executive director for Freedom Fighting Missionaries, said.

Robinson said landlords don’t want to lease to people with criminal backgrounds. His organization worked to create a network of landlords that will, but it’s taken several people coming to the table to create change.

“It’s been a truly collaborative effort,” Robinson said.

Robinson said they’re also one of the first organizations to receive Emergency Housing Vouchers.

Inlivian is a nonprofit real estate holding company that administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program for the Charlotte region. They said Freedom Fighting Missionaries has successfully leased 16 emergency housing vouchers.

“I feel like I have a shot at life, at happiness,” Emerson said.

No longer behind bars, in front of Emerson stands her new reality.

“A lot of hope that things will stop, the cycle ends — that kind of peace of mind, you can’t buy it from anywhere,” Emerson said.

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.

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.

‘I feel like I have a shot at life, at happiness’ | Nonprofit seeking solutions to housing for the formerly incarcerated

There are challenges for those coming out of incarceration. After being released, many struggle to find housing. This can prevent them from staying out of jail.

More Stories Like This

Este programa ayuda a quienes buscan comprar su primera casa en Carolina del Norte

Motels are being turned into one solution for Charlotte’s affordable housing problem

About The Project

Stories Brought to you By: