Andrea and Luis came to the US from Venezuela twelve years ago, and have lived in Charlotte for eight years. They’ve worked hard to build a life for themselves. Luis works in a factory, and Andrea has a small house cleaning business. With long hours and careful saving the couple had been able to… Read more »
Posts By: CommLink1
Foreclosures in Charlotte Mecklenburg
Foreclosure activity is down in our region, but still higher than historic levels. The March 2016 foreclosure rate was 0.71 percent in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia MSA, 0.46 percent in the Durham-Chapel Hill MSA and 0.46 percent in the Raleigh-Cary MSA. The North Carolina foreclosure rate dropped year over year from 0.83 percent to 0.7 percent, and… Read more »
At Seventy She is a First-Time Homeowner
No one in Luella Crosby’s family had ever owned a home. From the day she was born seventy years ago up until now she has lived in countless rental homes in Charlotte. The Charlotte native has worked in several different jobs over her lifetime. She was a packer for Bigger Brothers, a Charlotte… Read more »
Landlords: Essential Partners in Fighting Homelessness
Written by Community Link intern Blake Allen Every year Community Link houses thousands of homeless people in Charlotte and around our region. We couldn’t do it, however, without the hundreds of landlords and property managers who partner with us. Lee Hall is one of those partners. She is the property manager at Aztec Apartments, Located… Read more »
Raising kids is hard. Raising them living in a car is harder.
As the holidays approached a few years ago, Felicia was eight months pregnant and living in her car with her two boys, ages three and four. The family became homeless when she was forced out of her apartment due to mold and mildew infestation. Her landlord paid for the family to stay at a hotel… Read more »
One Year Later: Don’t Be Afraid to Dream
In 2013 Rudy and Marlyne were both pretty much out of options. Marlyne and her two children, aged five and six, had been chronically homeless for several years. The Florida family had stayed in shelters, in family housing programs,and with friends, but Marlyne had never been able to get long-term housing assistance, and these… Read more »
Art and Housing Help This Disabled Veteran
Dennis with his best friend from the Navy. The two remain close friends. It took more than twenty years for Dennis, a Navy veteran and father, to finally solve the mystery of his debilitating illness. Along the way his condition robbed him of his job and marriage, and eventually left him homeless. Dennis grew… Read more »
After 17 years in prison he was facing homelessness. Today he’s planning to buy a home.
Recently we followed up with a customer from 2012. Parris grew up in Charlotte, under difficult circumstances. His dad was out of the picture early, and his mother struggled with addiction. He got involved with drugs and petty crime in his teens. At 21 he was arrested for a drug and weapons offense, and was… Read more »
Three Years Later
In 2011 LaTanya and Donald were working hard, paying their mortgage, and looking forward to their son’s high school graduation in a couple of years. There wasn’t much left over once all the bills were paid, but that was OK. Then both were laid off work in the same month. By the time Donald… Read more »
Father and Children Avoid Homelessness
“Abuse isn’t gender specific. It’s a heart and soul problem, not a gender problem.” For nearly fifteen years Ken tried to fix the problems with his wife. Increasingly, Ken found himself wondering if he had somehow overreacted to or provoked his wife’s yelling, insults, and physical attacks. He complied with her demand that he… Read more »