Residents forced out of homes in south Charlotte hold yard sale ahead of move

WSOCTV.com News Staff
·4 min read
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Some residents being forced out of the Sterling community in south Charlotte held a yard sale on Saturday to get rid of bigger items they didn’t want ahead of their move.

Channel 9 has been following their situation, as a new property owner forced them out of their houses.

Many of them are scrambling to find a new place to live in just a few weeks.

Keesha White is one of those residents. She said she decided to move out despite the move-out day being extended.

“They did extend it to June 30th, and I decided to go with the 31st so I can save June’s rent, put that toward moving expenses as well. At this point, I’m just exhausted,”said White. “I am ready to get the move out of the way. I have somewhere to stay for now, until we get our own place again.”

Not everyone else has a place to say.

The nonprofit group Dreamkey Partners is helping some of the residents to pay for rent or other moving costs.

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Community offers help for residents forced out of south Charlotte property

Dozens of people who’ve been living in south Charlotte’s Sterling community for years say they’re now scrambling to find a new place to live.

Residents said last week that a new company bought the property and has asked them to move immediately.

On Monday night, leaders with the China Grove AME Zion Church met with about 100 people from the community to help address the issue.

The Rev. David Scott Cunningham, who has church members who must move out soon, is offering his church as a resource for those residents.

“One of the residents told me that she is already resolved in her mind that she’s going to live in her car,” Cunningham said. “That breaks my heart.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Residents scramble to find new place to live after notice to vacate from new landlord

Keesha White is one of several residents who received a notice to vacate last week.

“I have deep respect for the property owners,” White said. “The previous and the new one. I respect their efforts to improve the neighborhood and the community. I just am not in agreement with the way they are going about it.”

The letter from River Investments Properties NC states that residents have two options, one of which is to move out in 28 days. The other option proposed in the letter says the first five residents who sign the paperwork and move out by this Thursday could potentially get some of their money back.

The letter states the property is under new management.

“The minimum under state law is seven days,” said housing attorney Isaac Sturgill, on the legal notice required in North Carolina. “Most leases, it’s 30 days.”

At meeting, community partners offer help to residents forced to move

There were still a lot of unanswered questions Monday about the future of the community.

“The urgency of finding a place to live on short notice is causing a lot of mental and emotional stress, anxiety,” White said.

Community partners are offering residents help on a case-by-case basis. They are connecting people with legal services through Legal Aid, financial assistance for a new home, and helping to find an affordable place to live.

Priced Out of Charlotte: County-by-County Resource Guide

“If anyone feels like the issue is not theirs because they are not directly affected, then just wait a little while because this issue could be living next to you,” Cunningham said.

If the new property owner or anyone associated with it was at Monday’s meeting, they didn’t identify themselves.

Numerous Mecklenburg County commissioners attended the meeting and are vowing to get to the bottom of it.

“This didn’t happen last night and it shouldn’t have happened this morning,” said Commissioner Vilma Leake.

Many people in our community are stepping up to help the residents of Sterling as well. Morningstar Storage in uptown Charlotte is offering a 50% discount and Our Lord and Savior Automotive is offering car repairs.

There will be a representative for DreamKey Partners at China Grove AME Zion Church on Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., to help people apply for emergency funds to use for housing. Other nonprofits are helping people find housing, furniture and food.

(WATCH PREVIOUS BELOW: New information on company forcing residents to vacate homes)