Mixed-Income Housing

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Moving Forward

Initiative History/Background

Performance Measures

Social Marketing Campaign

Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity

Initiative History/Background

The Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) is one of 33 housing authorities across the country participating in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “Moving to Work” (MTW) demonstration program, which allows CHA to test innovative methods to improve housing services and better meet local needs. CHA has the flexibility to propose and implement housing and self-sufficiency strategies, which may be exempted from existing public housing and tenant-based Section 8 regulations. CHA has branded the local effort as Moving Forward, which reflects a combination of shared intent, forward movement, and the image of affordable housing as a safety net and platform for rebuilding lives.

Three Statutory Goals

1. Reduce cost and achieve greater costs effectiveness in federal expenditures
   
2. Give incentives to families with children where the head of household is working, is seeking work, or is preparing for work by participating in job training, educational programs, or programs that assist people to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient
3. Increase housing choices for low-income families
   

Major Themes

• Rent Simplification: Implement a new rent structure that provides a strong financial incentive for residents and participants to increase their earnings.
• Family Tiering System: Residents and participants are divided into four tiers according to the type of services they need to become self-sufficient (based on a study conducted by CPCC of public housing residents in 2007 and Section 8 participants in 2008).
• Education and Youth Programs: Collaboration with partner agencies to provide services to address the academic, health and social well being of CHA youth.
• Mixed-Income vs. All Public Housing Sites: Assessment whether mixed-income developments or developments that are all public housing are best for residents, the agency and the community.
• Work Requirement: Introduce a work requirement in April 2009 that will provide an increase in household income.  Residents and Section 8 participants will have access to life skills and work support programs to be delivered by community partners.  The work requirement will apply to all non-senior, non-disabled clients receiving case management.

Long-Term Vision

Self-Sufficiency Strategies, Educating Children and Enhancing the Portfolio

Specifically, the vision is to provide:

• Opportunities for every able-bodied public housing resident and Section 8 participant to work in order to reduce the number of households needing housing assistance, as well as a reduction in the number of individuals who return to the waiting lists and increase the numbers of families transitioning to self-reliance.
• Resources that will improve the education of nearly 8,000 youth residing in public housing or a household which receives Section 8 assistance with a goal to increase the graduation rate from high school in order to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
• Production of additional affordable housing units to address the need to serve the growing number of households presently in Charlotte and relocating to the area that cannot afford market rate housing.

Contacts

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