CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Churches are partnering with the City of Charlotte to build more affordable housing. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Churches are helping build affordable housing options in Charlotte

  •  Newell Presbyterian Church has a plan to build townhomes for sale on their property

  • The City of Charlotte’s Faith in Housing Initiative gives faith-based organization resources and partnerships to make affordable housing projects a reality

The Faith in Housing initiative gives faith-based organizations tools, resources and partnerships to carry out affordable housing projects. 

Newell Presbyterian Church in North Charlotte is one of the churches working to increase affordable housing options in the city. They are planning to build 50 townhomes for sale on their property at the corner of Old Concord Road and Rocky River Road West.

“For a church of less than 100 members to sit on about 10 acres with three buildings, when all of it is under utilized, is just not good stewardship. And we realized that we were called to do something different with it,” Pastor Matt Conner said. 

The orientation of the homes are meant to make it feel like a small village where the houses face each other. 

“We have the conviction that the more connected people are, the healthier communities are,” Conner said.

Newell Presbyterian partnered with developer DreamKey Partners to make the nearly $15 million project a reality. 

“Our process is to guide the church, to give them the tools that they need to make the decisions. And then of course, we build it and help finance it,” DreamKey Partners Chief Strategy Officer Erin Barbee said. 

Barbee said they have partnered with other churches in the past. 

“People are not attending as much and churches are discerning what are they going to do with their land. And being able to have affordable housing is a really meaningful way to be able to change the trajectory of your church,” Barbee said. 

The need for affordable housing is growing in the Charlotte area. According to the 2024 Charlotte-Mecklenburg State of Housing Instability and Homelessness report, 61% of renters earning less than $75,000 are cost-burdened or spending more than 30% of their income on housing. 

According to DreamKey Partners, for the Newell Presbyterian Church’s project, someone earning $59,000 a year or a family of four earning $84,000 would qualify to buy a home. 

“These homes would be sold to folks that make too much to qualify for more direct assistance, but not enough to compete in the free market to own their home and so these are essential workers.These are people like teachers and first responders. These are single parent households or single earner households and so these are essential workers, right? These are people like teachers and first responders,” Conner said. 

Other churches are also investing in affordable housing. 

Little Rock AME Zion Church is behind the Varick on 7th, an apartment building with 105 rental apartments in Uptown Charlotte. Half of the apartments are income-restricted, but those units already have tenants. 

Senior Pastor Derrill Blue said they partnered with the City of Charlotte and their managing partner Laurel Street to bring the project to fruition. 

“One of the things that I believe every church or faith-based organization should be a part of is meeting the needs and addressing the needs of the local community. And I know affordable housing has been an issue for not just Charlotte, but it is a nationwide issue,” Blue said.

Blue also said this project was completed in March of 2024 under the leadership of Bishop Dwayne Anthony Walker.

“We saw the need within our community, and so we knew we wanted to be a part of helping, well, being part of being a solution,” Blue said. 

Renter Chella Mills, who is also a parishioner at Little Rock AME Zion Church, is grateful. 

“This puts me into a more independent situation where I don't have to depend on family as much,” Mills said. 

Conner said they want to be part of the solution. 

“I don't believe that we can build our way out of this crisis, but we felt called to do that, do our portion toward the homeownership front in this community,” Conner said.

Newell Presbyterian Church completed the rezoning process and plan to apply for funding from the Housing Trust Fund for construction costs. The voter-approved housing bonds provide financing to affordable housing developers. 

The townhomes are expected to be available by 2026.