Charlotte, North Carolina, is a large city whose rapid economic and population growth is exemplified by its gleaming uptown, its busy airport, and its two national sports teams. Since the 1980s, Charlotte's population has increased by 25 percent to almost 400,000 people in 1990. Growth is expected to level off and housing shortages caused by the growth spurt will ease. Local tax revenues will also level off, however, reducing resources for city programs.
Charlotte's Consolidated Plan incorporates the application, planning, and citizen participation for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) programs. Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) will be allocated through the State to various organizations in Charlotte. CDBG and HOME funds will be used in the City Within A City area in a comprehensive approach to the problems of Charlotte's older neighborhoods and business areas.
The lead agency for the Consolidated Plan, known as Neighborhood Development Key Business, integrated the development of the plan into several local planning efforts: the process of Enterprise Community designation, the City Within a City (CWAC) strategy, the Neighborhood Assessment Report, and the Homeless Network Strategy. The Consolidated Plan process began with a public hearing by the City Council in February 1995 and continued with focus groups in three neighborhoods that benefit from the plan, as well as a focus group of agencies and individuals held by the Homeless Services Network. These focus groups were publicized through newspaper notices and through mailings to key leadership in the CWAC area of Charlotte. Copies of the draft Consolidated Plan were available in several local government sites around Charlotte.
Neighborhood Development Key Business held a public hearing in April to get citizen input. Several committees convened by the city also provided input. Finally, the plan was presented to City Council for adoption on May 8, 1995.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
Charlotte has experienced significant economic and population growth, an expansion of the housing supply, and a relatively low unemployment rate. The city has much to offer in addition to its natural beauty, active religious and community organizations, and strong political leadership.
Even with such a bright future Charlotte is becoming a "tale of two cities." There is a growing population of very poor, mostly minority residents struggling with unemployment and underemployment, lack of affordable housing, and inadequate community resources. While the city overall boasts one of the State's highest per capita incomes and ranks fourth largest nationally in bank assets, there is also a growing economic division between the "haves" and the "have-nots."
The CWAC area is being targeted for revitalization because the urban core quality of life is totally different from the rest of prosperous Charlotte. There, one of six families lives below the poverty line; unemployment runs two to four times higher than in the county as a whole; the crime rate is twice that of the whole city; about half of the neighborhoods have inadequate or no sidewalks, curbs, gutters, or street lights; and about 56 percent of the area's homes are rented. Its geographical area surrounds the prosperous central business district and includes 60 square miles, 153,000 people, and 73 residential neighborhoods.
The racial make-up of Charlotte is 66 percent white, 32 percent black, 1 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent other. The CWAC area has the highest concentration of low-income families and minorities.
Median Family Income (MFI) in Charlotte in 1989 was $38,553. Approximately 20 percent of the city's households (49 percent in the CWAC area) have very low incomes (up to 50 percent of MFI). Other low-income households (51 to 80 percent of MFI) make up another 17 percent. Moderate-income households (81 to 95 percent of MFI) are 8 percent of Charlotte's household population.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels. MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.Charlotte has actively participated in Federal community development programs since the 1950s, when public housing was built and a Redevelopment Commission began to remove blighted neighborhoods and renovate the uptown area.
Active urban renewal programs extending into the mid-1970s opened up land for development, but displaced large numbers of low income people, mostly African-American, and related businesses and institutions. African-American households were forced into overcrowded inner-city neighborhoods while white flight to the suburbs began. A 1975 lawsuit curbed urban renewal's demolition of homes and required a relocation plan. A shift to housing preservation, code enforcement, and a neighborhood focus for programs followed.
In response to the sharp decline in Federal housing production resources, community leaders were assembled by the city to develop a Housing Policy Plan and the Innovative Housing Fund in the late 1980s. In 1988, Charlotte was ranked as eighth in the Nation in local per capita revenues dedicated to housing. These efforts were supplemented by self-sufficiency programs featuring counseling and homeownership programs. In 1991, the CWAC initiative began involving neighborhood groups and nonprofit developers.
In 1990, there were 170,430 housing units in Charlotte. Sixty percent of the structures were single-family and 40 percent multifamily. Of the 158,991 occupied housing units in Charlotte, 55 percent were owner-occupied. In the inner-city areas, however, 56 percent of households rent.
A survey of housing deterioration found that 80 percent of the blighted structures were in the CWAC area. In 1987 Charlotte made a commitment to reduce the percentage of substandard housing from 4.3 percent to 1 percent by 1997. Progress toward that goal was shown by a 1994 survey that indicated that 2.3 percent of housing units were substandard.
The private apartment market in the metropolitan area contains about 65,000 units, and is growing rapidly. In September 1994, 1,927 apartment units were under construction. The overall vacancy rate is 3.1 percent. The median rent in 1990 was $377.
In 1994 the 73 neighborhoods in the CWAC area were assessed. One of every six families in the area lives in poverty, twice the overall rate of the whole city. There are more low income people in Charlotte than ever before and they are concentrated in the inner city area. Two-thirds of Charlotte's African-Americans live in this area, as do almost half of its elderly residents.
Needed maintenance on inner city housing has been deferred, and managers report increased property damage and vandalism. This is due to serious social problems, especially among youth, in the area.
Three-bedroom apartments have the highest vacancy rates in the city. Most of these are in higher income neighborhoods, however, and probably have rents unaffordable to the large low-income families that need them.
Charlotte found that there are 8,733 households that can afford rents only at or below $124, but that there are only 1,156 units at such rents. Of the very low-income households (earning less than 30 percent of MFI), 41 percent pay more than half of their income for housing costs. The households in this income group are the most likely to have housing problems and to pay more than half their incomes for housing costs.
Low-income households (31 to 50 percent of MFI) have significant housing problems, but do have some opportunities for homeownership and can find affordable rentals.
Large families and single persons without children who are renting appear to have more housing problems than any other group.
There are 927 beds available for homeless persons in Charlotte in shelters and transitional housing programs. These are all full almost every night of the year. The 200 beds provided for single men only in winter also are fully used. Typically, some homeless people must be turned away from these facilities.
There are about 2,000 persons living on the streets or in cars on any given night in Charlotte. In addition, there are the "hidden homeless." About half of all recipients of Aid to Dependent Children, or at least 8,000 individuals, do not live in subsidized housing. Their income from this assistance program does not allow them to rent standard housing, so they must double up with friends or relatives, or find some other solution other than standard housing. Many low-income persons who do not receive assistance also cannot afford standard housing.
Fifteen Charlotte area agencies have joined to form the Homeless Services Network, carrying out a continuum of care plan that seeks to encourage collaboration, coordination of services, advocating with and for homeless people, and planning and managing responses to needs.
The Charlotte Housing Authority has 24 public housing complexes with a total of 3,904 units. Much of this housing is in deteriorated condition: a consultant identified repair needs totalling $56 million. The city expects to have difficulty meeting these needs. However, no units are expected to be lost or converted.
In addition, the Housing Authority administers rental assistance to 2,178 households through 4 Federal Section 8 programs.
There are 5,038 families waiting for Section 8 rental assistance, and 2,915 families waiting for public housing. There is a 4-year wait for two and three bedroom units, and the waiting list for these units has been closed.
Charlotte will transfer 309 units to programs that provide home ownership and, under a separate program, will sell 75 units to residents—but the city intends that there will be no net loss of affordable housing. A program that built 405 units for lease-to-purchase by low-income households has sold 95 percent of the units.
There are active drug prevention and community policing programs in Charlotte's public housing.
Charlotte has requested several changes in State legislation that could speed up demolitions and repairs as well as the project development process, and use of code enforcement revenues for housing activities. Some nonprofits have sought changes in tax treatment of land owned by nonprofits and alleviation of the burden of water and sewer tap fees for low-income families. Discrimination also continues to be a barrier to affordable housing.
The city has and does enforce fair housing ordinances. It expects to investigate and resolve 20 to 30 complaints in the coming year.
The State of North Carolina has an Ad Hoc Lead Advisory Committee, including representatives from various agencies, that has focused on lead poisoning detection. Of 40,000 children screened in the State in 1994, 3.2 percent had high blood-lead levels. Of children tested in Mecklenburg County, the county in which Charlotte is located,12 percent showed raised lead levels. A State statute requires abatement of the lead hazard where a child 6 years of age or less is found to have lead poisoning. The Charlotte Housing Authority is in the process of testing its public housing properties for lead hazards.
More services will be required to assist an increasing number of elderly
persons to remain independent in their homes. There will also be a growing
demand for housing accessible to persons with physical disabilities. There is
little housing for persons with AIDS at this time.
The CWAC strategy is a comprehensive approach to the problems of Charlotte's older neighborhoods and business areas. With a focus on the CWAC area, Charlotte will implement these housing goals over the next 5 years:
The CWAC Strategy has six major components:
Along with the programs forming the CWAC strategy, Charlotte will use a $2.95 million Enterprise Community designation grant targeted to 32 neighborhoods within the CWAC area. It is establishing three Neighborhood Empowerment Centers as full-service centers that offer job training, job placement, and help for business development and expansion, as well as support services to area residents and businesses.
In addition to the resources already mentioned, Charlotte works closely with community programs for youth, such as Head Start, in the CWAC area. Three job creation loan programs provide loans to assist struggling small businesses in the area. The city collaborated in the development of a new strip mall in an African-American neighborhood, now providing jobs and quality services and products. Investors willing to build new affordable housing in Charlotte's inner city have received city support. The Wilmore Neighborhood Association worked with the city to buy commercial and residential property in their neighborhood and run it for the benefit of the community.
Charlotte's Neighborhood Development Key Business is responsible for ensuring that the Federal funds spent on activities to benefit low- and moderate-income families is in compliance with regulations. It monitors subrecipients for compliance as well.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects. MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6. MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; as well as, provides a table with information about the project(s).Charlotte has chosen a menu of specific projects for the coming year:
