News

Charlotte is facing an economic crisis unlike anything the city has ever seen.

As of May, 177,000 people are on public assistance. That is nearly 20 percent of Mecklenburg County’s population. Unemployment is close to 12 percent, and economists predict it may grow above 13 percent. Homelessness is on the rise, and hundreds of children are going to bed hungry each night.

As demand for human services grows, money and resources are dwindling.
July marks the beginning of the new fiscal year. Many agencies that help the needy are facing serious budget woes and experiencing deep cuts in services and jobs.

On the eve of the new fiscal cycle, Charlotte’s Community Building Initiative, Community Relations Committee and Mecklenburg Ministries hosted a community dialogue focusing on meeting basic human needs in the midst of economic crisis.
More than 225 concerned citizens, civic leaders and government officials attended the crowded standing room only event held at Little Rock AME Zion Church.

Pastor Dwanye Walker was glad to see such a diverse group of people. “It is evident you understand that it will take all of us to make a difference,” he said.

Panelist Rick Thames, editor of the Charlotte Observer, has seen the needs of the community play out in the headlines daily during his 30-year career in newspapers, but said he has not seen anything like this.“We are facing something unprecedented,” he said. 

During the first half of 2009, Crisis Assistance Ministry served a record number of people, providing more than $50,000 a day in assistance for rent and utilities to families in need.

CEO Carol Hardison said she hopes human services will be addressed with same vigor as arts and science projects in Charlotte. “In the past 35 years, the city has had four strategic plans for the arts and sciences, but never had one for human services. There is no leader, no plan in place,” she said.

The stress of the economy is taking an emotional toll on many. The city reports a 25 percent increase in the number of mental health calls.
According to Angeles Ortega-Moore, outgoing CEO of the Latin American Coalition, the crisis is so severe for many Hispanic families the community is experiencing a surge in suicide rates. “This is unusual for this community,” she said. “But families are loosing their breadwinners. People are desperate.”

Poverty, homelessness, and hunger are nothing new to Charlotte, but now a growing number of different types of people are affected.

“The amount of need in Charlotte has always been great,” said Cherene Caraco. “Shelters have been packed for years and now we recognize the need because it is affecting people of other socioeconomic backgrounds, and it’s no longer just the people who [were considered] the throwaways of society.”

Former mayor Harvey Gantt said he hopes the changing dynamics of those in need will be enough of a wake up call for the whole community to stand up and do something about the problem. He encouraged everyone “to give until it hurts.”

“Charlotte is a blessed community in comparison to a lot of places in the country. Still, a lot of people are experiencing tremendous amounts of pain. Some have been experiencing the pain long before the crisis came to be spread across in one shape or form, from the high to low income,” Gantt said. “Now how do we respond? We can all do something about it. We can all find a way to be better neighbors.

“Most of us, even those of us who are considered low income or poor, can afford to give to someone in need. Even if it’s just a can of peas or a jar of peanut butter, we can give something.”

Gantt said that Charlotte shouldn’t approach helping from the standpoint of giving, but investing.

“We haven’t gotten across the message that while charity is good, investing is better. We shouldn’t cut off programs like job training that teach people how to fish, instead of giving them fish,” he said.

Comments