Community Relations Annual Report

By Adrienne Martinez, CRC Member

At the end of every fiscal year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Department produces an annual report summarizing the work of both the staff and Community Relations Committee (CRC) members. Michael Smalenberger, CRC chair and Willie Ratchford, CRC executive director recently presented highlights of this report to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. Click here to watch a replay of the meeting presentation on the County Commissioners website.

Below you will find a few highlights of accomplishments from the fiscal year (FY) 2020 annual report related to Fair Housing, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) and Community Affairs.

Fair Housing Program

The Fair Housing Office continues to work to ensure that program resources remain accessible to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community during this global health crisis. During FY2020, the Fair Housing staff offered 17 in-person trainings and trained 796 people on fair housing rights. The staff is evaluating virtual training options for anyone interested in learning more about fair housing and resources available. Additionally, the Fair Housing Office is in the process of executing several education and outreach methods with the use of a recent Fair Housing Assistance Program Partnership Grant from Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including public service announcements and safe distribution of educational materials.

One helpful resource is the When You Rent Handbook which is now available on CRC’s website, providing immediate access to tips and information for tenants and landlords regarding fair housing and landlord-tenant rights.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

Throughout FY2020, the City of Charlotte has continued to undertake self-evaluation of its programs, services and facilities to provide full and equal access to all persons under the ADA. The City’s ADA Program Office is led by the Community Relations deputy director who has collaborated with representatives across the City organization on this effort. The City is currently working with an external consultant to ensure ADA compliance which included interviewing 30 City departments, analyzing approximately 1,230 City programs, services, and activities, hosting an ADA Transition Plan Public Forum, an assessment of 180 City-owned facilities, and creation of a GIS database for City-owned facilities to be inspected. More than 500 City employees were also trained on ADA. After the evaluation is complete, the City will move into its implementation phase, which has to be approved by the City Manager and then sent to City Council for adoption. For more information, visit the City’s ADA Program webpage.

Community Affairs

The Community Relations Department has actively engaged with the community through dialogue, partnerships, training and youth programs during the last fiscal year. More than 3,000 community members participated in a program or engagement activity that was led by Community Relations or where the department was a key partner. In addition, over 800 community members attended training facilitated by Community Relations. One of the priorities over the coming months is ensuring that engagement can be continued in a virtual capacity. Whether it be through virtual town halls, trainings, mediation sessions or youth peer groups, Community Relations is committed to adapting to the changing needs of the community. The services and programs provided may need to be offered in a different way, but they are all still available and accessible throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

To access a PDF of the full FY2020 report presentation, visit the CRC website.