- Composition and Mission
OneMECK provides a strong voice for equity in housing and schools. We are composed of 25 individual community leaders with experience in providing affordable housing, justice through legal services, alleviation of and prevention of homelessness, and economic and racial diversity. We have affiliations with United Way, Homeless Services Network, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Habitat for Humanity, Roof Above, other non-profit housing providers and various faith-based advocates. We are dedicated to promoting economic and racial equity by having diverse neighborhoods and schools in Mecklenburg County.
- Key Opportunities Missed by our Community and Unfinished Business
- CMS’ sale of land banked property adjacent to Ballantyne School, which the city declined to use for affordable housing.
- Failure to land bank or provide effective incentives for affordable housing along the Blue Line.
- Failure of the city to make tax credit developments in high-opportunity areas a priority within the Housing Trust Fund program, thereby perpetuating the economic and racial segregation identified in the Chetty Report and Leading on Opportunity as the primary obstacle to upward mobility.
- Failure of county contractor to redevelop the 17-acre site of Brooklyn urban renewal program with significant affordable housing.
- City’s failure to use existing housing code remedies for in rem repair of serious violations in order to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) with low-income residents in place – Lake Arbor displacement as a prime example.
- Failure to amend the housing code to require basic A/C equipment to protect health and safety of residents from growing threats of extreme heat events.
- OneMECK Advocacy Priorities: Remaining Opportunities for Obtaining Economic Mobility and Avoiding Homelessness.
- Collaboration of city and county with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to repurpose surplus land of CMS for affordable housing, per NCGS 160D-274.
- Collaboration of city and county with new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) to land bank and develop affordable housing along rail stops of new transit lines and other anti-displacement measures.
- Amend the Housing Trust Fund scoring system to provide preference and financial support for affordable housing developments with tax credits in high opportunity areas.
- Collaborate with county to create better redevelopment plans for Brooklyn Village with at least 20% of residential units as affordable housing for tenants at the 30 to 60% AMI, utilizing housing vouchers from Inlivian.
- Have the city budget include sufficient funds to utilize in rem repair remedies in deteriorating NOAH properties, along with additional funds for temporary relocation of residents during major repairs to structure, plumbing, and wiring.
- Amend city housing code to require A/C equipment in all dwellings and some funding assistance for installation of split units to avoid rent increases.
- Have city budget $200,000 to fulfill its commitment in A Home For All to supplement county’s program of preventing homelessness by providing legal assistance to residents facing unlawful evictions.
- Explore increasing the city’s housing bonds to leverage more affordable units in diverse locations.
- OneMECK’s Record of Contributions
- Advocating for the development of CMS student assignment plans that prioritize both socioeconomic diversity and proximity to home; and collaborating with other government bodies, philanthropies, and faith communities to reduce the number of schools with high concentrations of poverty.
- Convincing CMS not to sell off its surplus land at Sedgefield Middle School to private developers.
- Co-sponsoring community book read of Evicted, which led to county’s funding of major eviction prevention program.
- Co-sponsoring of community book read of The Color of Law.
- Convincing the county to repurpose 14-acre site of surplus land for affordable housing off of Billingsley Road, leading to more housing initiatives.
- Advocating with the county to revise Brooklyn Village redevelopment plan for more affordable housing.
- Advocating with city to utilize the in rem repair remedies and better relocation during code enforcement.
- Leading the advocacy with community partners for the city to increase the housing bond levels from $15 million to $25 million, then $50 million and finally $100 million.
- Promoting Dr. Hanchett’s book on the history of affordable housing in Charlotte.
- Data and Policy Resources
- Chetty Study 2014
- Leading on Opportunity Report
- Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law
- Matthew Desmond, Evicted (Pulitzer Prize winner)
- Mecklenburg County Studies on Homelessness and Evictions
- A Home For All program
- Dr. Tom Hanchett, Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City’s History Tells Us about America’s Pressing Problem