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'Corridors of Opportunity' program seeking solutions for six Charlotte neighborhoods in need of help

The 28208 zip code is deemed "distressed" by a national study and the "Corridors of Opportunity" program aims to change that.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A national study deems 28208 more distressed than any other Charlotte-area zip code. 

The zip code is in west Charlotte, which is often referred to as a historically underserved part of town. In fact, the city's "Corridors of Opportunity" program seeks solutions for six neighborhoods in need of help. Half of those neighborhoods are in west Charlotte. 

"You can see the change," Pickolo McManus told WCNC Charlotte

He said the Freedom Drive area, which is a corridor of opportunity, feels safer than it did several years ago. 

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"They're cleaning it up a little better, so it feels better than it used to be," McManus added. 

He runs a mobile detailing business on Freedom Drive. 

The Economic Development Group’s “distressed communities index” rates 28208 "distressed", with a rating of 81.8 out of 100. In comparison, the 28209 zip code in south Charlotte is rated "prosperous," with a rating of 18.3 out of 100. The index is based on factors from the 2020 Census like poverty level, unemployment, housing, and education. 

"We have to invest in these corridors and just raise that income level, raise the ability for people to grow and prosper," Monica Carney Holmes, executive manager of the Corridors of Opportunity program said.  

Holmes explained many underserved communities struggle with poverty due to discriminatory practices like redlining, when people were denied loans and mortgages based on the color of their skin and where they lived.

"Over generations of time, it was harder to get loans, business loans, small business loans, harder to get home loans, the ability to buy a house, to then pass that wealth on to your children and your children's children," Holmes said. "We're now seeing what happens when that occurs over several generations. So, there's a lot of work to do."

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The Corridors of Opportunity program was created in 2020 and has helped communities along Freedom Drive, West Boulevard, and Beatties Ford Road cut down on crime, build more housing, and bring in business. Efforts can range from the city installing street lights to buying vacant commercial businesses that were hotbeds for crime.

"We have programs like the opportunity hubs, which is really meant to provide resources to entrepreneurs and business owners so that they can grow their business and stay in that corridor," Holmes explained. "So, that it’s not necessarily outsiders coming in and pushing people out; it's growing from within."

The city is closing its application for opportunity hubs in August. The goal is to find community partners who will host an in-person hub in each corridor to help small businesses succeed. 

To address a food desert, the program is helping a West Boulevard community garden turn into a market. 

"In the next couple of years, you'll see it come out of the ground and really take shape and be that day-in and day-out provider for food in that corridor," Holmes said.

The goal is to help historically underserved and overlooked communities become healthier and happier by offering equitable opportunities.  

"It seems like it really is going in the right direction," McManus said.  

Holmes said one of the program’s biggest obstacles is getting private investment and finding private partnerships to help their cause, saying the city cannot fund the work alone. City leaders allocated $5 million in this year's budget to the Corridors of Opportunity program. 

Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram 

WCNC Charlotte is committed to reporting on the issues facing the communities we serve. We tell the stories of people working to solve persistent social problems. We examine how problems can be solved or addressed to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference. WCNC Charlotte is seeking solutions for you. Send your tips or questions to newstips@wcnc.com. 

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