ABOUT

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To lead the regional effort ensuring that all residents have safe, affordable homes by protecting and expanding housing options for them.  

All residents of our Cape Fear community will have access to safe housing that they can afford, no matter their age, ability, or income level, because housing stability significantly affects health, mental health, personal well-being, and economic opportunity—and thus overall quality of life.  

The Cape Fear Housing Coalition is comprised of community advocates and leaders from the public, private, nonprofit, finance, legal, affordable housing, real estate, and other sectors who come together to work collaboratively in strategizing around issues of affordable housing. 

Our work and related advocacy are informed by the following guiding principles: 

• We believe a key measure of who we are as a community is how we treat those in need and how we stand and act on affordable housing. 
• We believe affordable housing is an essential element of the equation for family stability and creates the opportunity for economic mobility and advancement. 
• We believe affordable housing can prevent families and individuals from falling into homelessness. 
• We believe in a holistic affordable housing model that can give residents access to public safety, employment, healthcare, transportation options and education.
• We believe affordable housing should be available throughout our community in mixed income communities that create stable neighborhoods. 
• We believe it is imperative that our community create long-term, sustainable, affordable housing inventory. We believe the inventory must be created within a system that maintains quality places for individuals and families to live. 
• We believe that the private marketplace, faith community, public and non-profit sectors and corporate philanthropy, working together, can tackle these challenges. A successful strategic model requires engagement, collaboration and creative effort from our entire community. 
• We believe this is difficult work and will require broad and sustained commitment.

In early 2003 a roundtable discussion was held among the City of Wilmington Community Development, Wilmington Housing Finance & Development, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, Cape Fear CDC and AME Zion Housing Development, all local non-profit developers (CHDOs). They determined there is a need to form an affordable housing coalition.

The idea grew from the fact that a coalition would facilitate non-profit agencies, businesses, government entities, and others interested in homelessness/affordable housing issues to work together on common goals. The participants felt that a coalition would be proactive rather than reactive and would present a united voice to policy-makers and the community at large. The coalition became incorporated in May 2005 and its formal bylaws were adopted in September 2005.

In 2012, the Coalition decided it was time to expand its membership and broaden its impact. After a year of strategic planning, the board members restructured as Cape Fear Housing Coalition and approved new objectives (outlined above). 

In 2021, the Coalition again expanded its voting membership to a total of 33 board members in an effort in include additional regional municipalities, housing developers, and community organizations.

The intent is to invite more stakeholders into the conversation to develop and execute community-wide strategies to meet the housing demands and needs of the future, especially those that are not met by the market. The coalition envisions a day when everyone in our region has the opportunity for a safe, healthy, affordable place to call home. 

Chair: Katrina Knight, Good Shepherd Center
Vice Chair: Steve Whitney, Cape Fear Community Land Trust
Treasurer: Roger Gins, Backyard Housing Group
Advocacy & Education Chair: Michele Bennett, Physician Alliance for Mental Health
Membership Secretary: Andy Almeter, Novant-New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Past Chairs include:

• Rev. Jones, AME Zion Church
• Gwen Flowers, G. Flowers Realty
• Louis Rogers, Self Help Credit Union
• Jonathan Barfield, Barfield & Associates REALTORS®
• Barbara Birkenheuer, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity
• Pam Rancke, BB&T Mortgage
• Carey Disney Ricks, Cape Fear Public Utilities
• Toronya Ezell, AMEZ Housing Corp.
• Jane Roberson, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity
• JC Lyle, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry