There’s been a flurry of minimum-wage-raising activity in Charlotte recently, which is certainly good news for the low-wage workers whose paychecks are increasing. But, is $15 an hour really a living wage?

On May 4, Crisis Assistance Ministry joyfully celebrated the graduations of a new class of Customer Advocates. New graduate Kimberly reflected on her journey from customer to empowered advocate saying: “I have found my voice and will utilize it to the best of my ability to help families like mine understand that there is hope, that life happens to everyone, and that we must not give up but continue to move forward.”

For a limited time, special funding is available for Mecklenburg County households needing assistance paying their rent and utility bills. While county residents can always seek emergency financial assistance at Crisis Assistance Ministry, now through June 30, additional funds are available to assist families in need.

I’m skeptical when I hear people talk about life-altering, perspective-shifting experiences. So, when I came home to tell my roommate that I had just experienced one of the most powerful and transformative two hours of my life, I recognized the incredulous face looking back at me.

As a new exhibit opens at the Levine Museum of the New South, entitled Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America, participants from the recent trip to Montgomery, Alabama, reflect on what they learned about the past, present, and future of racial justice in America, including right here in Mecklenburg County.

As important as financial stability is, research shows that where we live may be just as critical to overall health. Last month, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released the “2019 County Health Rankings Key Findings Report”, which examines how location and health intersect.

For half a century, the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program has offered free tax preparation assistance to elderly, disabled, and low- and moderate-income households.

International Women’s Day is a great day to reflect on the too-often-unrecognized achievements of women around the world and to acknowledge the significant challenges they must overcome.

A diverse group of about 90 Charlotte residents traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to explore America’s complicated history and ongoing story of racial injustice and social change. “We have to learn our history, ” reflected one participant, “so that we can pass it on to our children.”

The 2019 Prosperity Now Scorecard ranks North Carolina 41st out of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia in terms of the financial health of residents. The Scorecard calculates 52 outcome measures such as household income, access to credit, and net worth.

“Economic mobility” is the centerpiece of nearly every Charlotte-centered conversation these days. Wondering why? Here’s the report that started it all: “Where is the Land of Opportunity?: The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in the U.S.”, by researchers at Harvard and UC-Berkeley.

For the first time, the community has access to local-level details of where, why, and how tenants are evicted in Mecklenburg County. Inspired by the award-winning book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, and author Matthew Desmond’s visit here last year, UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute set out to study eviction at the local level.