“Faith Without Action Is Dead — And So Is Kinston’s Housing Plan”

WRITTEN AND INSPIRED BY QUARLA BLACKWELL

In Charlotte, churches have teamed up with the city to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time: affordable housing. Faith leaders and city officials are working side by side to create homes that ordinary families can afford, proving that when community and government unite, real solutions emerge. This partnership is not just about bricks and mortar — it’s about dignity, stability, and hope.

Charlotte’s initiative is called “Faith in Housing Charlotte.” Launched in October 2025, the program selected 12 faith-based organizations to receive training, technical assistance, and funding to transform underutilized church land into affordable housing. For example, Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church partnered with the city to develop Sugaree Place, a housing project that repurposed church-owned land into safe, stable homes.

City leaders have emphasized that churches often own valuable land or unused buildings, and these can be repurposed into housing units. Councilmember LaWana Mayfield explained that this idea has been in the works for nearly a decade, but Charlotte is finally seeing progress. Churches like Newell Presbyterian are already planning townhomes on their property, showing how faith communities can directly address rising rents and displacement.

Kinston should take note. Our city faces its own housing crisis, and the cold months make the problem even more urgent. Too many of our neighbors are left without shelter, forced to choose between unsafe living conditions or the streets. The lesson from Charlotte is clear: collaboration works. Churches, nonprofits, and city leaders here must come together to create a strategic plan for affordable housing — not years from now, but immediately.

That plan must include emergency mission houses. These are not luxuries; they are lifelines. When temperatures drop, the least fortunate in our community need a place to go, a warm bed, and a safe environment. No one in Kinston should be left outside in the cold simply because the city failed to act.

Affordable housing is more than a policy issue. It is a moral responsibility. Charlotte’s churches recognized that faith without action is empty, and they stepped forward to meet the need. Kinston’s churches, civic leaders, and residents must do the same. By pooling resources, leveraging city support, and committing to long‑term solutions, we can ensure that every person has a place to call home.

I watched local police and the fire department put out a fire on an abandoned property that the homeless were using to stay warm. They offered no alternative, no shelter, no mission house — and went on as if the least of us don’t matter. That moment captured the truth of our crisis: without compassion and immediate action, Kinston will continue to fail those who need it most.

A Call to Action for Kinston

Charlotte has shown us what is possible when churches and city leaders unite to confront the housing crisis. Their “Faith in Housing Charlotte” program is already transforming unused church land into affordable homes, proving that collaboration can deliver dignity, stability, and hope.

Kinston cannot wait. The cold months are here, and too many of our neighbors are left without shelter. We must act immediately to create a strategic plan for affordable housing and establish emergency mission houses so the least fortunate have a warm, safe place to go.

This is not charity — it is justice. Housing is the foundation of community, and without it, democracy itself falters. Churches, nonprofits, and city officials must pool resources, leverage land, and commit to long‑term solutions. Residents must demand accountability from leaders and insist that no one in Kinston is left outside in the cold.

The time for planning is over. The time for action is now. Let Charlotte’s example be our blueprint, and let Kinston rise to meet the moral responsibility of ensuring every person has a place to call home.