NEWS
Davidson Housing Coalition Receives Community Grant from Canopy Housing Foundation
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, Davidson Housing Coalition (DHC) received one of 19 Community Grants awarded to housing and shelter nonprofits serving residents in Mecklenburg and Iredell Counties. The $3,000 grant provides funds to replace original flooring in a home in historic West Davidson. In addition, DHC is positioning the repair as one of two to three pilot projects the organization is using to help reshape, revitalize, and relaunch DHC’s HAMMERS program for home repair.
“We are so grateful to Canopy for their willingness to jump in with us on this effort,” said Connie Wessner, DHC’s executive director. “As we put some distance between us and the initial disruption of COVID, we are eager to join with new partners, develop steadier and more robust funding sources, and sharpen the focus of HAMMERS so that we are working with our neighbors to meet their needs. This grant will be key to reviving the program.”
Michael Orlando with TSG Residential Real Estate
Wessner thanked Michael Orlando, lead broker and co-owner of The Stewart Group in Davidson, for sponsoring DHC’s grant application. “Michael and his team are ever at the ready to help,” explained Wessner.
DHC’s Creekside Corner community was the beneficiary in April of a team of realtors, led by
Mike Kessler with TSG Residential Real Estate
Orlando’s colleague Mike Kessler, who fanned out and spent a day, landscaping, painting, and building and organizing a storage area. “We were blown away by the generosity of the Realtors Care Day event in April,” continued Wessner. “This grant is just one more marker of the commitment Canopy has to the community in which its members work.”
Work on the flooring project is slated to begin in late August or early September as soon as materials are delivered.
Canopy Housing Foundation is the charitable arm of Canopy Realtor® Association and has a mission to create housing opportunities through advocacy, education, funding and leadership. Through Canopy Housing Foundation, Realtors® work to address unmet housing needs within the community and advocate for fair and affordable housing standards and practices. Canopy Housing Foundation is dedicated to making a difference in the communities served though its programs, events and financial support.
Davidson Housing Coalition is a North Carolina, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with a mission to preserve and create affordable housing options and to prepare families and individuals for financial stability and home ownership. Founded in 1997, DHC has created 60 affordable rental units and 14 land-lease home ownership opportunities for people who earn less than 80% of area median income.