Rookie Teachers Without Homes
The recent release from the Urban Ministry Center of a survey of the homeless in Charlotte yielded a dizzying array of numbers, some of which contracted themselves, some of which were based on best estimates, and all of which, by the Center’s own acknowledgement, were impossible to judge for accuracy.
That said, out of Charlotte’s estimated 6,500 homeless the survey identified 850 as “chronically homeless”, which became instant buzz words for editorials and pontifications from politicians. Look for another set of buzz words to start floating on the near horizon: unaffordable workforce housing.
More importantly, look for the number that’s attached to it: 351,324. That’s the number of jobholders in greater Charlotte who pull down an average annual wage of less than $29,120, or less than $14 per hour, but don’t make enough to afford adequate housing, according to a presentation that the group Community Link delivered to Charlotte City Council.
The study showed 40 percent of Charlotte’s workforce making between $7.25 per hour and $14 per hour, which based on spending 30 percent of income on housing is sufficient to secure only an efficiency apartment for what the study labels a monthly fair market rent of $670, or a one-bedroom apartment with a fair market rent of $726 per month. Folks who fall within that salary range, the study shows, include rookie teachers ($13.54/hr), security guards ($10.01/hr) and childcare workers ($9.60).
According to Community Link, the majority of their customers need a two-bedroom or larger apartment, leading to the whopping count of 351,324 jobholders lacking affordable workforce housing.
As the city grows, Community Link said, the problem will increase. It’s a likely bet that the rhetoric and use of a new catch phrase will too.
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