Mecklenburg County voters approve new round of affordable housing funds

Voters in Mecklenburg County just approved the largest affordable housing bond in Charlotte's history.

Voters approved a 100 million bond to help support housing efforts around Charlotte.

Here's where the money is going:

It's the second time in two elections that Charlotte voters approved spending money on the city's housing crisis. Back in 2022, voters gave the green light to a $50 million affordable housing bond.

People have been able to use city funds to secure their own home, like Regina Jefferson. She moved into her home in west Charlotte about seven years ago, and she qualified for a program with the city that helped with her down payment.

"Would it have been hard to afford the home without that help?" asked Channel 9′s Gina Esposito.

"Pretty much, because I had to come up with $10,000, which I didn't have $10,000 at the time," Jefferson said.

>> County-by-county housing resource guide

The city is using funds to support multiple efforts, including two Habitat for Humanity projects. One of those is off of Toddville Road, where construction is underway on 14 affordable homes. The organization told Channel 9 that the new money will lead to more similar home opportunities.

"Over the course of the next three to four years, we'll be building 350 or maybe more new, affordable homeownership units," said Shannon Green, the senior vice president of organizational development with Habitat for Humanity. "And so for us, what this means is there'll be more money that we can tap into to help to cover the cost that it takes to build the housing and what people can actually afford in a first mortgage."

Habitat says they'll be able to apply for funds to use toward critical home repairs that will allow families in some of Charlotte's oldest neighborhoods to age in place.

For Jefferson, who lives next to one of Habitat's projects, she understands the need and is open to change for her neighborhood.

"As long as we don't have the crime, I'm pretty OK, especially with woods gone. It would better a community, I would think," Jefferson said.

You can find more information on the city's affordable housing programs at this link.