Community Toolkit

The community toolkit is a list of programs and resources to help residents with neighborhood and household stability. The toolkit will be updated as more programs and resources become available.

Resources for Emergency Housing Assistance

The City of Charlotte assists residents experiencing an emergency or unstable housing situation by partnering with non-profit community partners to help. Below is a list of available services and contact information.

Housing Preservation

The City of Charlotte provides several repair programs for low-income city residents to ensure their homes can continue to be safe and affordable places to live.

Safe Home Rehabilitation programs, including Safe Home, TLC by CLT, and the Housing Preservation Program, provide moderate housing rehabilitation to remove code violations and improve accessibility, energy efficiency and environmental safety, as well as provide other benefits.

LeadSafe Charlotte provides testing and remediation of lead-based paint in homes built prior to 1978.

Emergency Repair provides urgent repairs for homeowners experiencing a housing condition that affects life, health, or safety, and that could lead to the household being displaced from the home unit. The city also partners with nonprofit organizations offering home repair programs to the Charlotte community.

The High Energy Usage Assistance pilot program, in partnership with Duke Energy, offers free energy improvements for eligible households that can help lower energy use and monthly energy bills. Upgrades can include air sealing, HVAC, refrigerator or water heater replacement, free lightbulbs and more.

Homeownership

The city offers several housing counseling services, including financial literacy, pre-homeownership counseling, and foreclosure prevention. Topics covered in these classes include budgeting, credit repair, mortgage loan approval, assisting in locating a home and assisting in negotiating mortgage loan terms, the purchase price, and mortgage loan closing process.

House Charlotte offers deferred and forgivable loan options for qualified potential homebuyers. Up to $30,000 in assistance can be used to cover down payment, closing cost and interest rate buy down.

In the Acquisition, Rehabilitate, and Resell program, homes are purchased, rehabilitated, and then resold at affordable prices, often below market rate, to homeowners in the House Charlotte program and/or those working with our nonprofit partners.

Code Enforcement works to improve the appearance of Charlotte’s communities and maintain standards of living across the city. This team helps strengthen Charlotte’s neighborhoods by addressing nuisance, housing, non-residential building code and zoning violations, and works with owners and tenants to bring properties into compliance.

Tax relief may be available for eligible property owners through the state of North Carolina. For those who do not qualify for state programs, the city and county support the HOMES program, which offers grant funding to qualifying residential homeowners to help address the rising costs of retaining their homes. The City of Charlotte is providing $4.2 million to this program in FY24.

Charlotte Water Cares program offers utility support for families in need, including a HomeServe USA partnership for unexpected water line repairs and a leak adjustment policy.

Tree Management works to protect, maintain and grow the tree canopy, as well as engaging the residents of Charlotte in caring for trees, both on their own property and across the city. Education opportunities includes tree identification, information about insects and diseases, caring for trees, tree ordinances and more.

Residential Support

Digital Navigators help community members navigate to and through signing up for affordable home broadband internet service, purchasing affordable technology, basic device and connectivity issues, and learning new digital skills. Residents should call 311 to get connected.

The CLT Resource Guide provides information about hundreds of community resources available to residents and neighborhoods.

The Neighborhood Board Retreat is offered twice per year to help neighborhood-based organizations assess the current state of their community, identify and prioritize strategic goals, create action plans and improve resident quality of life. The retreat includes an anti-displacement track for those neighborhood organizations interested in this work.

Neighborhood Matching Grants offer up to $25,000 for eligible neighborhoods for different projects – including art, safety, signage, gardens, festivals, and more – to incentivize relationship and capacity building within the community.

The City of Charlotte has several neighborhood trainings, and many of them are related to anti-displacement resources. Trainings are offered each month, and topics include board/organization support, neighborhood and community resources, connecting with government, and more.

The training-on-demand video library provides an alternative to in-person trainings to educate residents and enhance neighborhood capacity.

Workforce and Business Development

The Mayor’s Youth Employment Program provides all Charlotte youth with equitable career development opportunities to explore the world of work, build social capital, and enhance economic mobility.

The RENEW training program provides paid training in the HVAC and electrical trades. These 13-week classes will teach basic skills for the industry and work to place graduates in successful full-time employment opportunities.

AMP UP Charlotte is a business growth education program that helps small business owners increase revenues, create jobs, and positively impact their community.

Business Matching Grants are available to small businesses, property owners and developers located in the City of Charlotte's Business Corridor Revitalization geography. These grants assist owners with the cost of improving their properties.

 

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