Charlotte-area Habitat for Humanity affiliates plan Oct. 1 merger
Getty Images/Dan Reynolds Photography
Big changes are on the horizon for two Charlotte-area Habitat for Humanity affiliates. Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region and Habitat Gaston County announced this week that the two will merge in October and operate as Habitat Charlotte Region.
Combining talents and resources will allow the affiliates to provide more families with affordable housing, Habitat Charlotte Region CEO Laura Belcher said in a statement.
“The cost of housing in the greater Charlotte area continues to outpace many working families’ ability to purchase homes,” Belcher said. “By consolidating our organizations and combining efforts, we expect to serve more of those families together, more quickly than our two affiliates could serve if we continued to operate independently.”
The merger will bring more programs to serve local residents, including critical home repairs to help preserve existing affordable housing and new financial education programing, officials said. The new organization will serve low-to moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners in Gaston, Iredell and Mecklenburg counties.
Habitat Gaston County board Chairman Patrick Mumford noted that more than a third of the Gaston County population is cost burdened, which means they spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. The same is true for Mecklenburg County where 32% of households are cost burdened, according to the N.C. Housing Coalition. Throughout North Carolina, 28% of households fall into this category.
“We have several families who have already been approved for new home ownership and many more who have requested critical repairs to homes they own,” Mumford said. “Combining our talent and resources will enable us to provide services to those families in an accelerated time frame.”
Since 1983, the two affiliates have served more than 4,800 families. The new organization will serve families from Charlotte to Gastonia and Pineville to Statesville.
After merger, the new affiliate will have assets of nearly $69 million, revenues of more than $52 million and nearly 1,100 mortgages.
Habitat Charlotte Region will continue to be headquartered in Charlotte, with offices in Gastonia and Davidson, and it plans to operate seven ReStores in Charlotte, Cornelius, Gastonia, Mooresville, Pineville, and Statesville.
The post Charlotte-area Habitat for Humanity affiliates plan Oct. 1 merger appeared first on NC Newsline.
