Energy-efficient, affordable cottages welcome residents ‘home again’ in Charlotte
The leaders of Home Again Foundation see the eight small, gray cottages in north Charlotte as the beginning of what they hope is a new way to tackle the city’s affordable housing crisis.
The nonprofit soon will move the first seven households into its newly-built cottage community on Cochrane Drive, off Statesville Road in north Charlotte. The undertaking aims to reduce roadblocks to housing and keep people out of homelessness.
The homes are built from recycled materials from old automobiles, a key element to the lower construction costs and unique designs.
The program is geared toward tenants who have challenges to find housing, said founder Rick Gilbert. That includes people previously or currently homelessness, with bad credit and eviction history, past convictions or behavioral health needs.
Rents will range from $480 for a studio and up to $1,095 for a three bedroom, well below market rate in Charlotte. The first residents will move in this weekend.
Individuals and families with household incomes of 60% area median income and below are eligible. That’s up to $35,100 for an individual or $45,120 for a family of three.
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A goal of stability
The goal is building long-term financial stability, said Chief Housing and Program Officer Vickie Craighead-Davis.
To do that, Home Again will offer financial and employment services and refer residents to other agencies for help with behavioral health and substance use programs.
“We will help them navigate the system, and the agencies throughout the county and the city so they can maintain their footing,” she said. “Because all it takes is one misstep to derail your life.”
Housing instability is pervasive in Mecklenburg County, local data show.
Nearly half of all renters in the county are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. And more than 3,000 county residents are considered homeless.
Both Gilbert and Craighead-Davis have spent years working with emergency shelter and housing programs.
Craighead-Davis worked for the Urban Ministry Center before it merged with the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte and later with Charlotte Family Housing.
Gilbert first got involved with the winter shelter program Room in the Inn some 25 years ago. As the seasonal program wound down each spring, he found himself wanting to work on permanent housing solutions beyond emergency shelter.
“It was always hard on me to see anybody go back on the street,” he said.
That interest, and what he calls some divinely-inspired meetings with people looking to get into similar work led to the creation of Home Again.
The tents are gone. The need remains. 200+ people moved from Charlotte homeless camp.
Recycled material for affordable houses
Studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages are made in part from recycled vehicle materials and are low-maintenance and energy efficient, leaders say.
Home Again Foundation worked with Charlotte-area builder Kris Axhoj, who is developing what his website calls “smart homes” to respond to the affordable housing crisis.
To date, the nonprofit leaders have funded their work through donations with their networks in the community and church. Gilbert said they’re also interested in working with the city and the county for possible financial or land donations.
Their more ambitious goal is to continue fundraising to buy a 23-acre property across from the first eight units or on another site.
That’ll take a substantial sum. Home Again leaders have a $21 million fundraising goal to build 300 cottages in three years, as well as an onsite daycare, community center and gardens. Gilbert said he’s confident in the group’s ability to do so.
“It’s gonna happen,” he said. “Mark my words.”
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