As their name implies, their specialty is providing transitional (about 90 days) housing for families with children. Their primary facility on The Plaza is shown below along with some of the social workers in the resident lounge area.
The Plaza Place facility has fifteen bedrooms for residents and their co-location at St. John’s Baptist church called Hawthorne Place. It has six bedrooms. In addition to the lounge, they have a number of amenities at their main location at 2410 The Plaza. They have a shared kitchen with 15 stainless and granite sub-kitchens so individual families can prepare their own meals, an in-house laundry room, a privacy fenced playground and patio in the backyard and numerous training and meeting rooms. Most families spend about 90 days there while they are being prepared to enter permanent housing.
You can gain entrance into their program three different ways.
1. You can simply go to their location on The Plaza where you’ll find a paper application by the front door. Fill it out and put it in the box there. You’ll usually hear a response by phone within 2 business days. (maybe a little longer during the holidays or the dead of winter when there’s a crush of families looking for shelter)
2. You can call or visit Mecklenburg County’s Coordinated Entry system. If you call, they are supposed to return your call in 2 business days. You’ll give them your information and they will refer you to Charlotte Family Housing.
3. On their website go this page, fill-out and submit the prescreen form found on this webpage. From there, and electronic application will be emailed to you.
Before you can gain entry into their housing, you have to have a job working 30 hours a week. You’ll have to pay some rent on a sliding scale based on your income. To get into their program you’ll have to agree to the following conditions:
- Are a family unit (at least one adult age 18 or older with at least one dependent).
- Are considered homeless by HUD definition.
- Have a total household income that is less than 80% of AMI (verified by any income received).
- All adults age 18 and older must be employed, working 30 hours or more per week.
- Have been a Mecklenburg County resident for at least 30 days.
- Are free from active substance abuse for at least three months outside of any residential treatment programs.
- Demonstrate motivation to make changes in their lives and are open to partnering closely with a social worker to do so.
- Are willing to provide proof of income earned and money saved while in the program.
- Have no sex offense convictions, felonies within the last three years and/or with pending charges. A criminal background check is run on all adults in household at time of assessment. Decisions regarding criminal backgrounds are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Here is a list of things/documents you’ll need to get accepted into the program.