NEWS

Dear Friends:

A little over a year ago, almost 200 North Mecklenburg neighbors convened at the Cornelius Town Hall to launch the North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative (NMEMC). We met that night to begin our collective work toward achieving the vision of a unified community where everyone can thrive. The plan was to work together in interest groups around six identified areas to include healthcare, education, childcare, living wages, transportation and housing.

As the interest groups were planning their first meetings, the world was upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Each of us remembers well those initial months struggling with the impact, the loss of connections, and wondering how bad all of this is going to get. Our progress was put on pause.

We acknowledge the extraordinary loss that has occurred in this past year, the profound effect on everyone’s daily lives, and more importantly, the serious impact on our friends who were already burdened with issues related to economic mobility and racial injustice. Our fervent hope is that this note finds you and your family safe and well.

We reach out to you today to say WE ARE BACK!! Because the events of the past year cast an even harsher spotlight on the inequities that undergird our society, we are even more committed to lock arms and move forward.

Here’s an update of the work that has taken place/is taking place:

• We helped with a 2020 Updated North Mecklenburg Needs Assessment. This project entailed meetings, focus groups, and surveys that helped to understand the current needs and opportunities in our area. That information can inform policies and decisions and support the work we will do.
• We took the decision to prioritize the following three areas of focus, at the moment:
  • Affordable Housing
  • Accessible Healthcare
  • Early Childhood Care
• We are providing assistance to Davidson College interns who are working this spring to provide an asset map of these three areas, across the three North Mecklenburg communities.
• We are inquiring into the process of bringing pop-up vaccination clinics to our area, especially to serve people who cannot easily get to Charlotte to be vaccinated.
• We are co-sponsoring — with Davidson College’s Center for Civic Engagement and the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative — a forum on March 30th, 7pm entitled “Our Housing Future: Needs, Goals & Solutions.” Here’s a link for more information and free registration.

In conclusion, we recognize that the circumstances of 2020 brought changes to many lives. We would like to know whether you would like to:

• Receive updates?
• Attend events (as we venture into this new world safely!)?
• Join an interest group in the three priority areas?
• Serve as a neighborhood liaison?

If anything, the virus has shown us we must confront the challenges that face us, collectively.

Please consider taking a moment to respond.

We wish you well and hope to hear from you!

The North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative
[email protected]
www.northmeckEMC.org