County Pushes Federal Examination of Investor Homrownership

Used for 2023 budget cover

Mecklenburg County has taken a step to bring federal attention to housing concerns that have emerged in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and across the country. At the 2022 annual conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo), Mecklenburg County successfully introduced two policy resolutions for NACo to advance before Congress, the White House and federal agencies.

Institutional Landlords and Homeownership:
The impact of investor-owned homes has become a significant barrier to housing affordability and availability. In late 2021, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region ranked second in the nation for the highest concentration of investor-owned single-family home purchases. After Mecklenburg County's recommendation, NACo will work to promote a federal examination of the effect of such purchases on housing markets.

Housing and Source-of-Income Discrimination:
There are no federal laws to prohibit landlords from rejecting housing vouchers or rental subsidy payments from tenants. As a result, housing options for residents in HUD's Housing Choice Voucher program are often limited. After Mecklenburg County's recommendation, NACo will advocate for federal non-discrimination legislation to prevent landlords from discriminating based on source-of-income.

Mecklenburg County also successfully proposed a platform change to urge the federal government to develop innovative delivery systems for federal social services and workforce training programs that are offered through local governments.

In addition, five Mecklenburg County representatives were appointed to leadership positions on NACo committees:

  • George Dunlap, Chairman, Board of County Commissioners: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, Vice Chair; Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC), Vice Chair

  • Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, Commissioner: Arts and Culture Commission, Member

  • Dena R. Diorio, Mecklenburg County Manager: Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee, Vice Chair; Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC), Member

  • Anthony Trotman, Deputy County Manager: Human Services and Education Steering Committee, Vice Chair; Healthy Counties Advisory Board, Vice Chair; Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC), Member; Veterans and Military Services Committee, Member

  • Starla Tanner, Intergovernmental Relations Manager: Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee (County and Tribal Relations Subcommittee), Subcommittee Vice Chair