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North Carolina consumers score court win against one of nation’s largest debt-buyers
The North Carolina Justice Center has received final court approval for a $5.75 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against one of the nation’s largest debt buyers, Portfolio Recovery Associations (PRA). The lawsuit, which was filed in 2016, alleged that PRA violated North Carolina debt collection law by obtaining default judgments against debtors […]
Charlotte-area Habitat for Humanity affiliates plan Oct. 1 merger
Big changes are on the horizon for two Charlotte-area Habitat for Humanity affiliates. Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region and Habitat Gaston County announced this week that the two will merge in October and operate as Habitat Charlotte Region. Combining talents and resources will allow the affiliates to provide more families with affordable housing, […]
Housing advocates say more focus needed on tenants’ rights
The national conversation about housing often focuses on supply and the need to build new houses, Kayla Laywell, a policy analyst at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), said Tuesday. But more attention must be paid to housing demand and to tenant protection, Laywell said during the North Carolina Housing Coalition’s weekly call. “What […]
Civil rights advocate says new strategies are needed to protect people experiencing homelessness
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to side with a local ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon that bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors shouldn’t prompt local governments to adopt such laws, said Dan Siegel, deputy legal director of ACLU North Carolina. Siegel and other advocates for people experiencing homelessness argue that the ordinance is unconstitutional because […]
Dozens of immigrant and US-born small business owners face eviction as Mebane continues to grow
The Buckhorn Road Flea Market off of Interstate 85 near Mebane in Alamance County was mostly empty Tuesday morning, a day after the Mebane City Council approved annexation and rezoning requests to pave the way for a R+L Carriers truck terminal to be built on the site. A former security guard busied himself removing a […]
First tenants move into Bertie County Schools workforce housing
The first tenants of a new 24-unit housing complex for public school and local government employees in Bertie County began to move in this week. Bertie County Schools officials hope the housing complex will help recruit and retain effective teachers. The district had the second highest attrition rate in the state during the 2021-22 school […]
North Carolinians must earn more, work more to pay for modest apartments
North Carolinians must earn $3.61 more per hour and work more than they did in 2023 to pay for a modest apartment, according to a new National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) report. The coalition’s 2024 Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing report found that the 2024 “housing wage” for North Carolina is […]
Activists demanding funding for childcare arrested at Legislative Building
Eight activists demanding lawmakers allocate $300 million in emergency childcare funding were arrested Wednesday inside the state Legislative Building after North Carolina General Assembly Police warned them to stop singing and chanting. Police told protesters that they’d received a noise complaint. The activists were given three warnings before police arrested them, bound their hands with […]
Durham childcare center prepares to close amid loss of federal stabilization grants
Stephanie Smith’s nearly eight-year run as a home childcare provider in Durham is coming to an end just as the Child Care Stabilization Grants that came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expire. The childcare veteran with more than 20 years of experience says she can no longer afford to keep the doors open […]
Maintaining affordability has become a growing challenge in addressing housing crisis
Surrounded by friends and Habitat Humanity of Durham staff, Laura Phoenix grew emotional Thursday during the dedication of her new home in East Durham. Just a year ago, the 43-year-old yoga instructor was without permanent housing after a bad break-up. It was the second time as an adult that she’d found herself without a permanent […]
Should NC follow Maryland in pardoning low-level marijuana charges? One advocate thinks it should.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s decision to pardon more than 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions is “brave” and “commendable,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, a nonprofit that fights against mass incarceration and racism. “It’s also common sense,” Blagrove told NC Newsline this week. “It’s time that we really allow our laws to catchup with […]
N.C. House budget calls for $135 million in childcare stabilization grants
The N.C. House released a proposed budget update Monday that would allocate $135 million for childcare stabilization grants to help soften the landing for childcare centers as federal COVID-pandemic money run out. The House’s proposal, however, is $165 million short of the $300 million emergency allocation childcare advocates requested during a rally at the Legislative […]