The authority has been caught in a dilemma. Aging projects cannot be permitted to continue crumbling, nor should people be asked to continue living in them as they are. But federal funding policies now emphasize the creation of mixed-income communities. Thus, despite good intentions, previous redevelopment projects have actually reduced the inventory of housing for the poor. The Housing Authority has publicly resolved that this must not happen again.
City plans to enlist are good news.
Sustained action must follow. It must involve the government and the private sector of the economy as well. The housing problem afflicts not only the poor. Working families of moderate means also struggle. The prosperous Charlotte economy is threatening to price portions of its own labor force out of the local housing market.