Homelessness & Affordable Housing

 

"Becoming a beacon of progressive action and a force for change in
the Charlotte community"

 

UUCC’s Social Justice Program is concentrated on homelessness and affordable housing in the Charlotte area. This focus was chosen by a vote of the whole congregation in 2008 after several important social justice issues had been studied for consideration. In addition to long- standing social justice activities at UUCC such as Habitat for Humanity and Room in the Inn, a sustained multi-year program was seen as providing members with opportunities to plan, develop partnerships, and engage in projects that could make a significant contribution to the housing challenges in our community.

A Comprehensive Program of Action

Our congregation is now involved in a multi-faceted effort called Affordable Housing & Homelessness Action (AHHA). A planning team has designed a program involving congregational education, direct service, and advocacy through teams engaged with three main program elements (click each link to learn more or get involved):

✓ Direct Service and Donations – Teams coordinate support activities with selected partner agencies that are providing effective service and support to our housing-challenged neighbors.
✓ Family Mentoring and Support – Teams offer personal individual and family support and fellowship.
✓ Advocacy – Teams work to offer promise of overcoming homelessness and alleviate barriers to more widely available affordable housing.

Everybody Can Do Something

The varied AHHA program elements are intended to involve a wide range of interests, time commitments, skills, experiences, and ages. AHHA projects have involved individual adults, families, and youth in activities such as mentoring single parents in life skills, repairing the homes of income-restricted senior citizens, collecting used furniture for homeless service agencies, and supporting partner agencies’ proposals before government bodies.

There is room in the AHHA program for every member of the UUCC community! You can match your interests and talents with an AHHA volunteer opportunity by reading about upcoming opportunities in Voices, the Order of Service or on the web, listening for announcements during services, or speaking with a representative from the various program teams when the AHHA table is in Freeman Hall after services. You may also contact either of the Social Justice Team Co-Chairs Jeff Barnes or Susan Cox for suggestions about volunteer opportunities that may prove suitable for you.

Let’s all pitch in to hasten the day when every Charlotte neighbor has access to a safe, decent, and affordable home! Read more here about how you can help.

Direct Service and Donations
Home Weatherization & Repair Team - Teams work with Habitat staff and others about once a month to insulate and weatherize selected homes in lower-income Charlotte neighborhoods. A wonderful opportunity to develop practical home care skills while helping families add comfort and lower costs. Contact Roger Coates at rrjcoates@yahoo.com.

Habitat for Humanity - Teams help build houses for our low-income neighbors. Teams meet once a quarter for a day of hard work, fun and giving back to the community. Help Habitat with your hands and your heart. Contact Mary & Frank Burnett at mcburnett@windstream.net.

Room In the Inn (RITI) - Teams form weekly from December through March to provide winter shelter, food and fellowship to homeless neighbors in Freeman Hall. Great on-the-ground learning and service opportunity. Contact Marsha Kelly at riti_marshakelly@yahoo.com.

Second Harvest Food Bank - UUCC collects and distributes canned and boxed food for 25-30 low-income, working families each month. Volunteers set up campaigns, assist with collections or distributions, or simply donate.  An on-going blessing to assisted families. Contact Eileen Hanson-Kelly at hansonkelly@ctc.net.

Men’s Shelter Dinners – Teams form several times a year to provide a healthy meal and fellowship to homeless men at the Uptown Shelter. Contact Larry Bennett at bennettlh@hotmail.com.

Periodic Direct Service Projects - UUCC teams respond to member-identified service or donation needs in Homeless Service Network or other supported shelter and housing agencies. Express your entrepreneurial spirit!

Family Mentoring and Support
Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing (WISH) - Hope Teams provide relational, emotional and spiritual support as the WISH family works toward stability and achievement of self-sufficiency. A pre-training and a year’s commitment is required. A great opportunity for changing a family’s life. Contact sandy slv13@carolina.rr.com.

Homeless To Homes (H2H) - Volunteers work in teams with this Urban Ministry Center-based program that places the chronically homeless in permanent housing with proper support. UUCC members have been providing support through fellowship events, holiday gift exchanges and a new tutoring initiative. Great service and advocacy activity. Contact Glen McClaughlin at glen.a.mclaughlin@bankofamerica.com.

Plaza Place – A youth led project in combination with Charlotte Emergency Housing. Team members provide support through fellowship events, cultural outings, holiday gift exchanges and more. Contact Donna Shore at dshoreanderson@windstream.net.

Advocacy
Advocating for Affordable Housing - The advocacy team works, with both non-profit and government partners to identify opportunities where UUCC members can work on directly reducing homelessness and increasing affordable housing. This includes partnering with other organizations and can take the form of presentations to the congregation, the community or government bodies. Contact Peg Chapin ptchapin@hotmail.com or Nancy Cook ngcook1@bellsouth.net.