For 20 years, Floyd R. Davis, Jr. has served as president and CEO of Community Link, a non-profit which enables individuals and families to obtain and sustain safe, decent and affordable housing in Charlotte and 16 N.C. counties. Today, Davis is announcing his retirement, effective at the end of December.
The agency’s Board of Directors has named Community Link Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tameka Gunn to succeed Davis as president and CEO on January 1, 2023.
“It’s been my honor to build Community Link into a thriving organization that reaches throughout North Carolina,” Davis says. “We are committed to serving our customers whether they are homeless or insecurely housed, need guidance on how to build their assets, looking to purchase their first home, or keep their existing home.”
Davis has made life better for thousands of lower-income families in Charlotte and throughout North Carolina since becoming president and CEO of Community Link in2002. About 25,000 individuals and families have turned to Community Link for help in the last 20 years and benefitted from Davis’s leadership.
“Floyd’s vision for Community Link led to a complete transformation of the agency,” says Community Link Board Chair Rodrick Banks. “He understood that lower-income people need tools and training to create wealth for their families. He expanded our services to include financial literary classes and counseling to help customers build their assets and even become first-time homeowners. He also collaborated with many other non-profits and expanded our geographic reach to serve North Carolinians beyond Mecklenburg. Thanks to Floyd’s stewardship, Community Link has become an essential leader in our region’s response to housing issues.”
Classes & Counseling to Encourage Economic Mobility
When Davis joined Community Link, the agency provided services to the homeless population in Mecklenburg County. Today, it provides Homeless to Housing services in 16 counties through rental payments, identifying and vetting lodging for rapid rehousing, supplying assistance for supportive housing, or all three, depending on the location. Clients include veterans, people with disabilities, very-low-income families, and mothers and children escaping domestic violence.
Under Davis’s leadership, Community Link services expanded to include homeownership education and financial literary counseling services, including asset building seminars. The non-profit also offers foreclosure prevention services to help homeowners stay in their homes. Foreclosure prevention services are offered in 21 counties across the state.
Strategies to Increase Affordable Housing
As access to affordable housing units dwindled in the Charlotte area, Davis searched for opportunities to create housing. His initiative resulted in donations of land and houses from various sources, including bank foreclosures. Since 2015, Community Link has renovated or built 21 homes which were sold to veterans who are first-time homebuyers. The agency is currently working to build additional homes through a partnership with a corporate donor.
Community Link also participates in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, through which the agency offers free tax preparation to individuals and households of modest means, using volunteers. Community Link began providing these services in 2005 in collaboration with United Way, IRS, AARP and other community partners.
Community Link was founded in Charlotte in 1929 as a branch of Travelers Aid to serve those in need of emergency travel assistance. Community Link still provides relocation services to safe, supportive locations for survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, people who have suffered a medical crisis, and others in need.
Previously, Davis was CEO for United Way in Flint, Mich., and Winston-Salem, N.C. He served as CEO for two non-profits in Fort Worth, Texas prior to joining Community Link.
He has served others as well. He currently shares his time and knowledge on the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau and Travelers Aid International. He previously served on the boards of United Way of Central Carolinas, the Charlotte Rotary Club, and the Actor’s Theatre.
