Editorial: Continuing Greater Matthews Habitat’s Success

We love to hear from our readers, and editorials are a welcome way to do so. Have something to share? Email Renee (renee@matthewsbeacon.com) and we’ll get it posted.

Submitted by Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity

MATTHEWS, N.C. (January 1st, 2020) – Many of you may have heard that Charlotte Habitat and Our Towns Habitat made the decision to merge and become one affiliate. What exciting news for them! Their service area will run from Pineville to Statesville.

We have had several questions about how this may affect Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity. The answer is that it doesn’t.

Habitat for Humanity affiliates are independent local non-profit organizations that act in furtherance of the Habitat for Humanity mission. Each Habitat affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area. Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity provides programs aimed at homeownership and critical home repair for residents of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Stallings.

A Message From Our President & CEO, Natisha Rivera-Patrick

Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity has served as the premier provider of affordable housing solutions in the Matthews area for the last thirty years.

Thirty years of operating in a sector such as ours that is constantly and rapidly evolving is an achievement that I am particularly proud of – we are honored to be here, and even more so to have done it in partnership with community volunteers and sponsors. I am proud that we operate with consistent, strong values reinforced by faith. Thank you to everyone who has donated, swung a hammer, volunteered in the ReStore, donated products and shared the message of the value of affordable housing. We are embarking on our strategic plan which will provide us direction in how we tackle the issue of affordable housing. We are evolving and working to meet needs beyond providing homeownership. With our critical repair program, we are working to keep individuals and families in their current homes making them safer, dryer, warmer and accessible – allowing our seniors to age in place.

We are in an affordable housing crisis in our country. Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity is the only organization building affordable housing in our community. One in six Americans are spending more than half of their income on housing. The need for housing that is attainable continues to increase and there are less options available to individuals and families with limited income. There are more than 3,000 residents living in Matthews that are living in poverty, near poverty or considered house poor. Seniors with limited incomes can’t afford critical home repairs or modifications that allow them to stay in their homes.

Through your efforts and continued support, I am confident that in the coming year we will write one of our best chapters yet adding to the long story of Greater Matthews Habitat’s success. We need you to help us meet the needs of others. By working together—and only together—do we succeed. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

About Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity

Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity is funded through donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, grants, sponsorships and through sales from our ReStore. There are several ways for you to get involved. You can donate, volunteer on one of our builds (must be 16 or older), volunteer in the ReStore, donate gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, etc. to the ReStore.

Participants selected for our programs must meet residency, program, and income guidelines. Applying for any program does not guarantee you will be accepted. Homeowners selected for our program must complete financial literacy training and 400 hours of sweat equity towards the construction of their home. In return, Greater Matthews Habitat provides them with a 0% interest mortgage. Critical Home Repair funds are aimed at helping make homes safer, dryer and warmer and allowing for modifications to help individuals and families age in place. We are currently accepting applications for the critical repair program.

Our ReStore is open to the public. Moving, downsizing, renovating – submit a donation pick up request online at https://www.greatermatthewshabitat.org/restoredonate. Remodeling your kitchen? We can send a crew out to deconstruct your cabinets which we will then sell in our ReStore with proceeds going into our affordable housing program.

We are currently seeking sponsors for our home build located on Weddington Road. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Sarah Galligan at sarah@habitatmatthews.org.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, July 16, 2019

News About Town: Matthews Police Officer Calvin Young served over 20 years as a School Resource Officer when he responded to the shooting at Butler High School in 2018. This year he’s being honored as the 2019 C.C. McGee, North Carolina, School Resource Officer of the Year. The award, named after Assistant Sheriff C. C. McGee of Forsyth County, recognizes SROs who have made outstanding contributions to their school and community. Congratulations Officer Young!

News Around Town: If you missed the Farmer's Market (or made it but have already chowed down on the deliciousness), Renfrow Farms Farmstand opens again today. After a year off, they're reopening the West Charles Street gate from 10 until noon. Plan on grabbing homegrown veggies and fresh flowers for a full summertime treat. As always, if you miss the farmstand, you can pick up some locally grown goodness at Renfrow's Wednesday through Saturday. 409 W Charles St, Matthews.

One Good Thing: This Saturday, July 20, Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity will break ground on their newest Faith [BUILD], a program where local congregations partner with Habitat to build a safe, healthy, and reasonably priced home. Join Habitat at 3527 Dion Drive, in Matthews from 10 til 11 am to kickstart the process for one local family’s future home.

#FiveForFriday: A Morning Minute News Round Up

This #FiveForFriday Morning Minute News Round Up is for the week of January 27 through February 1, 2019.

News About Town: Tonight at 5:30 there is an additional Board of Commissioners meeting prior to the regular meeting at 7. Of note at the early meeting is a presentation on affordable housing in Matthews. The regular 7 PM meeting doesn’t have much on the agenda, so citizens with general topics to speak on may want to take this opportunity to have the Board’s undivided attention. Proposed Planning Conference items will be discussed and provide insight into Board concerns. Some of these items include implementation of four-year staggered terms (following public input), the use of 27 acres at McKee Road and Pleasant Plains, rezoning “by-right” properties in town, visual plans for the future Entertainment District, and an invitation to charter schools to explain their business model. The draft Vision Statements are also worthy of a read.

We asked our intern, Sterling, to summarize Monday’s Town Council meeting from a student’s perspective. This morning’s News About Town is her view of small-town government in Matthews (Or BOC meeting):

I walked into a room with a large crest of Matthews, NC at the head with flags adorning each side. The mayor, Paul Bailey, was seated in the middle of a large dais with the board of commissioners circling around; I never knew that all of this was right above the Matthews library, where I had been going my whole life. The crowd included everyone from firefighters who were there in support of Kerry Ernsberger, Matthew’s Employee of the Year, to a boy scout troop, who were working on their communications badge. I was surprised that the atmosphere of the meeting was both formal and casual being that it followed an ordered agenda but with the occasional joke from one of the commissioners. It was thought-provoking to see what topics were being discussed, even if most were passed unanimously; it ranged from the general issue of the effects of traffic on Matthews to the more abstract approval of Matthew’s new “vision statement” for the future. From the concerns raised here in Matthews, I could make a connection to environmental, safety, and political concerns locally as well as nationally, despite it only being considered a small town government. At the end, I shook hands with the mayor and the assistant town manager, which is something I never envisioned myself doing as a high school student.

News About Town: At the Council meeting this past Monday, Chief Clark Pennington asked the Board of Commissioners to approve the Police Department’s pursuit of additional funding through the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) grant program. In recent years the growth of the department hasn’t kept up with the growth of the town, and valuable police resources are being allocated to crash response rather than crime prevention. Currently, the department has 61 full-time police officers and two reserve officers (one school resource officer serves full-time at Carmel Christian School that is budget neutral). The grant would provide significant budget relief for the addition of three patrol officers and one corporal. The Board of Commissioners approved applying for the GHSP Grant.

News Around Town: Property tax valuations are a hot topic all over the county. If you’re still in sticker shock, you’re in good company: the median rate increase for residential property is 43 percent while commercial property owners saw a median increase of 77 percent. Yesterday Norah explained the who, what, and when of the new numbers. County Manager Dena Diorio posted a video to explain what the new values mean.

News Around Town:The Environmental Advisory Board presented at Monday's Board of Commissioners meeting. EAB Board Chair Gordon Miller provided several updates to Commissioners, including the introduction of an EAB created a pamphlet for builders and landowners with suggestions for more environmentally friendly development. Some examples include strategically planted trees, re-use of rainwater, and on-site composting.