Affordable housing has been a challenge across our region for decades, touching families, seniors and young people alike.

Rising costs and limited availability have left many struggling to find a safe, stable place to call home.

Tonight, "Carolina Impact's" Dara Khaalid and Russ Hunsinger explore two programs taking innovative approaches to ease the burden and provide hope for those in need.

(dramatic whooshing) (relaxed electronic music) (faucet running) - [Dara] There's a strong sense of pride as Sharee Allen does the little things around her house, like tidying up her bed and watering her favorite plants.

Some days, she still has to pinch herself when she thinks about finally being a homeowner.

- We came to this home, and I walked in and I was like, "This is it, we don't need to talk anymore about anything, don't give my house away to anybody, this is it," you know, I just felt like it was a home that I could grow my family.

- [Dara] For this mom of two, she always dreamed of a moment like this, but didn't know if it'd be possible financially.

- I was paying $2,000 in rent, which is a lot of money.

I really couldn't afford to stay there, but that was my only option, I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, wasn't really having anything left over that I could do with my kids.

(relaxed electronic music) - [Dara] Then everything changed last year when she found out about WeBuild Concord, an affordable workforce housing developer, investing over $10.2 million this year.

Sharee was making around $55,000, which qualified her for their Prosperity Unlimited program.

With a mortgage of around $1,300 a month for this $190,000 home, Sharee finally has wiggle room in her budget because she's saving around 36% from the original cost of $250,000.

- The pressures of, you know, trying to work, support your children and just being able to not have to worry about, "Oh, my gosh, how am I gonna live?

How am I gonna eat?

How am I gonna do all these things?"

It's just a great opportunity and a burden lifted off of you, I feel very blessed.

Hey, come on in.

- How you doing?

- I'm good, I want you to... - [Dara] And for WeBuild Concord CEO Patrick Graham, who's been there throughout the process, from the showing, housewarming, and now, finally decorated space, he shares Sharee's joy.

- A lot of times, when people think of affordable or workforce housing, I think you have to cut corners, but the reality is, if you really build with solid materials and provide people some dignity and respect at the same time, then it gives you a more lasting impression.

- [Dara] Just a few blocks away from Sharee's place sits another affordable housing project done by the organization, 26 units called the Lincoln Street Townhomes.

The first residents moved in in March.

- [Patrick] Most of our individuals that live in our townhome units or even our single homes are really earning below $60,000, and sometimes, those are families of three on average, so you can see that's pretty tough to make things work.

- [Dara] As the city of Concord continues to grow, that brings challenges.

- Concord, by the 2020 census, increased by 33%, and that increase has continued far after the pandemic, and so, the shortage of housing, both in rental as well as in ownership in this area, is predicted to be around $14,000 over the next five years, so that really tells you that there's not only a need, but there's a growing need.

- [Dara] And WeBuild Concord is doing its part to keep up with the demand, and not just with new construction, but giving old buildings new life.

- So you are in a place that's called the 114 Street Baptist Church, but this is gonna be converted into what we call the Sanctuary, it's a building that will have 13 affordable loft apartments and will have incubator space for entrepreneurs as well as artists.

- [Dara] They were able to purchase this property with money from the American Rescue Plan.

Funding will also come from the city of Concord, private sources, and some of their sales revenue from other developments, but they're not the only group fixing up old structures.

A little over 18 miles away, Davidson Housing Coalition in Mecklenburg County has repairs underway on its affordable housing community, the Bungalows.

- They're checking the plywood underneath to make sure any rotted boards are coming up, it's really a comprehensive roofing job, so these guys are knocking this out, they show up at, like, 7:00 in the morning, they take the full roof down, and then, by, like, probably two, three o'clock this afternoon, they'll be done with this building and ready to move on to the next.

- [Dara] The 32-unit rental property has been open since 2001, a recent grant of $175,000 from Davidson College Presbyterian Church is funding the roof replacements for all nine buildings.

- For our members, and for me, it feels really good and it feels impactful, folks love the new projects, they love to see the things emerge from the ground, but we've gotta maintain what we've built and honor our commitments to our neighbors.

- [Dara] Davidson, similar to Concord, is growing rapidly.

- It has really threatened the ability for many people to live in a town like Davidson because it has become so popular, the supply and demand issues are an extreme example of what happens to affordable housings, that's that working people cannot live in a community like Davidson.

- [Dara] On a warm, sunny afternoon, resident Victoria Burley relaxes on her front porch, playing one of her favorite games on her phone.

As she navigates through her virtual house, she's grateful for the real house she has because Davidson Housing coalition's income eligibility is based on 50% or under the area median income of $152,969.

The average price for a home in the town is around $626,000.

- With prices getting high and stuff, it's...

It can really get to somebody, it can be really nerve-wracking and, you know, cause a lot of problems, so it's really security, it really is.

- [Dara] As we've seen, affordable housing isn't just about buildings, it's about restoring hope, stability and dignity to individuals and families.

Whether through city-backed initiatives or nonprofit programs, these efforts prove when communities come together with purpose, lives can be transformed.

- Ah, nice.

- Oh, yes.

Right?

- For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.