Creating Space for Housing: Conversations in Charlotte
A family has a voucher. They’ve done everything right. And they keep hearing no. Our Affordable Housing team members have heard the same story more times than they can count.
As the team that supports Affordable Housing at Progress Residential, they work closely with families navigating the Housing Choice Voucher program and they know firsthand how many barriers can stand between a voucher and a home.
That reality is what brought a room full of people together in Charlotte, North Carolina last summer.
In July 2025, Progress Residential hosted the Charlotte Housing Opportunity Roundtable, gathering local housing advocates, nonprofit leaders, policymakers and community stakeholders to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping housing access for working families in the area.
The conversations were grounded in challenges Charlotte residents are navigating, including rising housing costs, limited inventory and the financial barriers that can make long-term housing stability more difficult to achieve.
Participants discussed how collaboration across the public, private and nonprofit sectors can help expand housing access, support financial mobility and strengthen pathways to homeownership through initiatives like eviction prevention resources, credit-building programs and financial education.
“Housing challenges are complex, and no one organization can solve them alone,” said Stephen Davis, Vice President of Government Relations at Progress Residential. “What matters is creating space for honest conversations, listening to different perspectives and identifying practical ways we can work together to support families and communities.”
The roundtable also explored the broader role housing providers can play in supporting economic opportunity, including helping residents access tools and resources that strengthen financial confidence over time.
“At Progress, we believe housing is connected to opportunity,” said Dave Feldman, CEO of Progress Residential. “Whether someone is renting today, working toward homeownership or focused on building financial stability for their family, those journeys matter. Bringing together leaders from public and private sectors across Charlotte allowed us to have an open and constructive dialogue about how we can more effectively serve our residents and communities.”
The event concluded with a shared commitment to continued collaboration and action. In the months that followed, Progress Residential continued working alongside local housing organizations and community partners to strengthen referral pathways and expand housing access for Housing Choice Voucher families. To date, nearly 160 voucher families have been placed into single-family homes across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, while participation in Progress Residential’s local Housing Choice Voucher program has grown by nearly 340% over the past two years.
For families navigating an already difficult system, what matters most is not just the conversation, but what changes happen because of it.
