MOORESVILLE, N.C. — As leaders across our area race to find solutions to our affordable housing crisis, one Iredell County town is making a significant effort to help families.
[AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPECIAL SECTION]
Eyewitness News was in Mooresville as Tanya and her son Jordan received keys to their new home in the Burke Crossings community.
Priced Out Of Charlotte - Queen City struggling with affordable housing
The mortgage will be less than the rent they pay for a one-bedroom apartment.
The opportunity is a life-changer for all of the families on the street.
"Every house in this neighborhood has kids,” said Robert Touby. “There a lot of kids in the neighborhood always playing. It’s safe you know.”
City leaders said the area has come a long way. At one point, it was not considered safe.
"A lot of crime, a lot of drugs," Mooresville Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem Thurman Houston said.
Houston grew up in the Cascade Mills Village community.
In 2009, leaders started a revitalization project with a federal grant, but the developer fell through. In 2014, the town combined its land and funding with Our Towns Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat had volunteers and a list of families waiting for housing.
"The Lake Norman area, you know, we think of this is a very affluent area, and it is, but there was a lot of poverty that people don't see here," Our Towns Habitat for Humanity CEO Chris Ahearns said.
Ahearns said as land prices skyrocket, the city's land donations and commitment are even more critical to transforming areas.
"Everybody should have a quality of life," Houston said.
Mooresville leaders believe their partnership could be a model for cities working to make sure hard-working families have a place to call home.
Habitat leaders are having ongoing discussions with leaders from north Mecklenburg and Iredell counties about how to partner to continue helping families.
Habitat Charlotte has been in talks with the city about identifying land that could possibly be donated for the development of more affordable housing.
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