Charlotte nonprofit expands housing support to homeless parents with prior convictions

A Charlotte-based reentry organization renewed a contract with Inlivian on July 3 to support families recognized by a federal law that ensures children lacking stable housing receive an education.

The Freedom Fighting Missionaries board of directors allocates the vouchers to families with children currently recognized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act . Inlivian is a nonprofit formerly known as the Charlotte Housing Authority.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries announced the contract renewal.

Through funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-income families can rent safe, affordable homes thanks to the Inlivian vouchers.

Families who join the program will receive a voucher that enables Inlivian to pay the property management or owner directly for a portion of their rent.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries said in a news release that over 5,400 children in Charlotte are enrolled in the program.

Most children in the program have parents or caregivers whose barrier to safe housing and upward mobility is due to a past criminal conviction, the news release said. Charlotte ranks 38th out of 50 large U.S. cities in economic mobility, according to one study.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries

Freedom Fighting Missionaries is the first reentry organization led by a formerly incarcerated person in North Carolina to receive housing choice vouchers to help families whose housing has been affected by the criminal justice system.

Kenny Robinson, president and founder of Freedom Fighting Missionaries, said in a phone interview that the renewed contract is a “huge initiative for the organization.”

“We are the first nonprofit to own land and create housing for public use, all while focusing on allocating resources for people affected by this act,” Robinson said.

The nonprofit was founded in 2020 to assist people who have been in jail or prison and provide them with housing and employment. The Charlotte Observer reported in March that the nonprofit recently acquired 1.8 acres of land in University City that will be used to build townhomes.

Robinson in 2021 advocated for Mecklenburg County, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Inlivian, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care to include people returning from incarceration and those who are justice-involved when determining who should receive emergency vouchers.

“All parties agreed and we were allocated 18 emergency housing vouchers to serve that population,” Robinson said.

“Based on the success of that initiative, we allocated 10 program-based Housing Choice Vouchers to house McKinney-Vento children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who have a caregiver or parent whose barrier to safe affordable housing is due to a past conviction.”

In 2022, the Grove Church donated land for Freedom Fighting Missionaries to pursue building a 16-unit townhome complex.

In 2023, 17 individuals and their families were provided a place to live using emergency housing vouchers. The City Council approved $2 million in funding for Freedom Fighting Missionaries’ services.

And then this year, Freedom Fighting Missionaries received a $2 million grant from the city of Charlotte. The nonprofit purchased the 1.8 acres.

“A fighting chance”

Cheron Porter, the executive vice president of corporate communications at Inlivian, said help is available to those “who have truly repented for the things that they’ve done.”

“We understand that no one can be a supportive part of the community without housing,” Porter said. “You can’t have a fighting chance to turn your life around if you have to worry about where you’re gonna sleep.”

Porter added that what Freedom Fighting Missionaries does is “a hard job.”

“They’re making an impact because not only are they helping with referring people and giving them opportunities towards housing, but they’re giving the supportive services that those persons need,” Porter said.

The nonprofit goes beyond housing

Freedom Fighting Missionaries partners with Just Do It Movement to assist people in obtaining records such as driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and social security cards, which are crucial for employment, health care, and housing.

Health care needs are addressed through a partnership with Care Ring , offering access to quality health care and low- to no-cost health insurance tailored specifically for their clients.

Employment support is provided in collaboration with Erika’s Closet , which includes employment readiness classes, skills training, technology training, and referrals to second-chance employers.