NEWS

On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Davidson Housing Coalition (DHC) received one of 14 Community Grants awarded to housing and shelter nonprofits serving residents in Mecklenburg and Iredell Counties. The $5,000 grant provides funds for job-site materials to support DHC’s volunteer-based home repair initiative in Davidson.

“We are so grateful to Canopy for their renewed support of our repair efforts,” said Connie Wessner, DHC’s executive director. “In 2023, a Canopy grant helped us begin to rescope our approach to offering home restoration services.”

That year, DHC worked with a single homeowner to replace deteriorating flooring in the home where she’d lived since the mid-1970s. “After we completed that project, we had the opportunity to talk with members of Davidson’s faith community about how we might work together to bring neighbors together to make a difference for each other,” Wessner continued.

From that conversation, DHC formed an alliance with St. Albans and other churches to combine skilled volunteers and leverage community connections in support of local homeowners living on low, fixed incomes. “Now, we have teams available to make repairs and improvements to help keep aging homes affordable,” she said.

Wessner pointed to a grant received by St Alban’s Episcopal Church from the North Carolina diocese in 2025 that helped push the effort beyond a couple of pilot projects.

Wessner thanked Mike Orlando, lead broker and co-owner of The Stewart Group in Davidson, for sponsoring DHC’s grant application to Canopy. “Mike and his team are tried and true sponsors of good works in Davidson,” explained Wessner. “Neighbors working with neighbors is foundational to the work we do. We’re grateful for local businesses who embrace the contribution that community-based initiatives make to our quality of life here in Davidson.”

The Canopy grant will facilitate repairs of five to ten homes in Davidson in the next year.

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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.

Our mission as a citizen-founded, citizen-led nonprofit reflects a shared civic commitment to keep our doors open to the myriad of talents, experiences, and perspectives that people in all walks of life have to offer. The DHC Board draws its membership from across the community and includes residents of our rental communities, as well as current and former owners of DHC land-lease homes.

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.