Data for Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City's History Tells Us About America's Pressing Problem

Government-assisted affordable housing — also known as low-income subsidized housing — has been around since the New Deal. It includes “public housing” created directly by government, as well as a wide array of programs in which private entities utilize government subsidies. No official roster exists that lists all of these projects over time in Charlotte. Hanchett created this master list by combing government records, newspaper stories, and other sources including reports of the Charlotte Housing Authority (now known as Inlivian), the non-profit Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (now known as DreamKey Partners), and city government's Charlotte Housing Trust Fund. On-line listings by Novogradac, a national consultant on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing, were particularly useful for LIHTC projects 1986 - present. This table will likely surprise most readers. It lists some 180 projects constructed over the course of 80 years. About 150 remain in use today. Many are so well designed that neighbors are not aware of them as subsidized housing. Understanding the range of funding sources and housing strategies that have been implemented can help us as we consider how to face shortages of affordable housing in our city and nation today.