Langston Stephens
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stacey Riemer
In this poster, I am crafting a new collective impact framework that affordable housing organizations may follow in order to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and culturally diverse version of Charlotte. The goal of this framework is to bridge the divide between community organizations, better utilize state and local funds through decreased levels of individualistic competition, and centralize a system-based effort to address the shortage of affordable housing in the city. In order to create my proposal for change, I conducted formal and informal interviews, engaged in ethnographic research, reviewed course concepts, and conducted research on affordable housing solutions across the country and in the city. Through formal and informal interviews and ethnographic research, I identified organizational challenges on the ground. Through research on affordable housing solutions across the country and in the city, I was made aware of innovative affordable housing efforts that were both collaborative and individualistic. And through a review of course concepts, I identified collective impact as the most effective framework for affordable housing organizations in Charlotte to use for future efforts. My proposal for change consists of a 5-phase program including issue-based workshops, area-based workshops, backbone organizations, and new methods for allocating affordable housing money.