Crisis Assistance Ministry turns 50
Plus: N.C. universities step up lobbying spending; Toppman review of Three Bone Theatre's ‘Electricidad’; Black Political Caucus sticks with endorsements; Ajmera way ahead in fundraising
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In focus: 50 years later, a ministry born of faith still anchors Charlotte’s response to poverty
Crisis Assistance Ministry’s first sign, circa 1976. (Photo courtesy of Crisis Assistance Ministry)
Since its founding by faith leaders in 1975, Crisis Assistance Ministry has helped 2 million Mecklenburg residents trapped by poverty.
As one of the county’s most enduring and impactful nonprofits, it provides assistance with rent and utility bills, connections to other services and more.
To mark the ministry’s 50th anniversary…
a client tells her story to The Ledger 19 years later
CEO Carol Hardison reflects on poverty and opportunity in our community
the numbers reflect the reality
—Ken Garfield
—
When help sparks a lifetime of giving
Jennifer Bihn still thinks about Crisis Assistance Ministry.
In August 2006, Bihn and her three children moved from Campbell, Calif., to Charlotte. Her husband was soon to follow. There was no way they could afford to raise a family in Silicon Valley. Her first impression of Charlotte was positive, except for … you guessed it. “The humidity made it so much hotter than California,” she says.
The family had rented a house. Bihn and the kids moved here that August so she could get them situated for the start of school. Her husband had landed a job, but unexpectedly, it wasn’t going to start for 2½ months. Neither would his paycheck.
So they turned to Crisis Assistance Ministry. Asking for help wasn’t in their nature. But what choice did they have?
Bihn, 55, doesn’t remember precisely how much money they received to cover rent and utilities for two months. But she knows it was enough to tide them over until their crisis had passed and they could begin life in Charlotte fresh.
This she does remember: She felt no judgment from those who helped her. Only kindness.
“It became a life-changing moment for us,” she says.
Eventually that moment came full circle.
Bihn works on the commercial real estate team at Wells Fargo, focusing on lending and investing in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Over the years, she has volunteered with Crisis Assistance. Her children have done the same. Her daughter even works there. When her son needed to log service hours, it was a no-brainer. “You’re going to volunteer at Crisis Assistance Ministry,” his mom told him.
Nineteen years later, Bihn still thinks about Crisis Assistance Ministry. “Had it not been for them…”
—Ken Garfield
—
The chief executive officer
Carol Hardison joined Crisis Assistance Ministry as CEO in 2000 after 18 years with Duke Energy. Her answers have been gently edited. How’s this for stability: The agency has had two leaders in 50 years, Caroline Love Myers and Hardison.
Hardison has served as CEO of Crisis Assistance Ministry since 2000.
Q. After 25 years leading Crisis Assistance Ministry, does one moment with a client stand out?
My first day, I stood in line with clients, listening. I still think about the people I met that day.
One was a grandmother raising two kids who missed two weeks of work after an on-the-job injury — no sick pay, hospital bills piling up, rent due before her next check. I had just left a job that provided generous sick leave and medical benefits, so her situation hit me hard.
I met a barber who had been hospitalized for diabetes complications. He had lost a week’s income and had “booth rent” due at the barber shop on top of his own apartment rent. Now he had extra medical expenses.
I think of them every time I speak because their stories reflect so many who come to us seeking housing stability.
Q. After 25 years leading Crisis Assistance Ministry, what best describes your spirit — discouraged, optimistic, tired, energized?
Energized. Honestly, I feel like I just started. I wake up each day with the same passion I had on Day One: To make sure people — especially those facing injustice — feel seen, respected and heard the moment they walk into Crisis Assistance.
It’s hard to watch Charlotte’s affordable housing gap grow from 8,500 to nearly 30,000 units during my tenure. But I’ve also seen hope take root. We’ve educated more than 10,000 community members through poverty simulations, helping them understand what it’s like to live on the edge.
Q. Why do so many live in poverty in a wealthy city like ours?
It’s not unique to Charlotte. You see it in many other fast-growing cities like Austin, Raleigh and Denver. Tremendous wealth and persistent poverty often grow side by side. Rising rents and low wages push people out even as new, high-paying jobs arrive.
With growth, more low-wage earners are priced out of their homes and forced further away from areas with steady employment. Access to housing, health care and good jobs gets harder, not easier. Closing those gaps takes bold action from everyone — government, businesses, nonprofits and volunteers, all committing to shared prosperity.
Q. You’re in charge — What will you do to eliminate or reduce the crises — lack of affordable housing, food insecurity, mental illness, low wages — that afflict the disadvantaged in Charlotte?
Prevention first. It’s cheaper and more humane to keep someone housed than to get a family or an individual back into housing once they have lost it. I’d integrate mental and behavioral health into housing programs and push for stronger coordination among service providers. Our mantra for partnerships should be “Coordinate, don’t duplicate.”
I would ensure that decision-makers listen to the people struggling to make ends meet in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Our organization has made strides in the area by helping prepare customer advocates to share their stories, struggles and triumphs in public settings, local government task forces and in communities all over the city.
—
By the numbers
Crisis Assistance has helped 2 million people in need since faith leaders helped establish the nonprofit agency in 1975 to serve Mecklenburg County.
In 2024, 18,198 households received help with rent and utility bills, clothing, household essentials, financial empowerment counseling, and connections to mental health, food assistance and other services.
On an average day this year, 125 families seek help.
More than half of Mecklenburg residents are housing-cost burdened, according to the agency.
No wonder: 10% of Mecklenburg residents — 116,370 — live in poverty (U.S. Census statistics).
Donations of money, volunteer time, clothing and household goods are welcome. Visit www.crisisassistance.org.
Freelance writer/editor Ken Garfield is a frequent contributor to The Ledger, including profiles of the recently departed for the weekly Ways of Life newsletter. Reach him at garfieldken3129@gmail.com.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews:
N.C. colleges step up federal lobbying amid threats of cutbacks; Duke, UNC hire former Sen. Burr
With large portions of their budgets being threatened from Washington, several of North Carolina’s top universities are ramping up their spending on federal lobbying.
According to a report last week by Chapel Hill public radio station WUNC (working in partnership with Open Campus and NC Local), Duke and UNC Chapel Hill have hired new outside lobbying firms and are each spending several hundred thousand dollars more per year to advance their views in Washington. Each hired the firm DLA Piper, whose lead lobbyist is Republican former U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
Some of the issues the universities are lobbying on include federal research funding, the university endowment tax and reimbursements for health systems, as well as student visas and financial aid.
Duke increased its lobbying spending by $333,000 in the first half of 2025 compared with a year earlier. UNC’s lobbying spending rose by $445,000, according to the article. Each university declined to discuss its stepped-up lobbying.
Davidson and Wake Forest also reported jumps in spending on lobbying. UNC system schools besides Chapel Hill tended to have small increases.
The increase is reminiscent of the tech industry, which used to spend next to nothing on federal lobbying but over the last 20 years has become one of the industries spending the most on making its views known in Washington. There’s a lot at stake in Washington, and the saying goes that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.
And while they provide a positive view of colleges, those sorority rush dance videos taking over social media these days go only so far. —Tony Mecia
➡️ Read the full article here.
Review: Three Bone Theatre’s ‘Electricidad’ runs on ferocity, but the adaptation circles without achieving dramatic resolution
Ledger arts critic Lawrence Toppman took in a recent performance of Three Bone Theatre’s “Electricidad,” which runs through Aug. 31 at The Arts Factory at West End Studios.
In his latest review for the Toppman on the Arts newsletter, he writes:
As the title of Luis Alfaro’s play suggests, “Electricidad” crackles with energy over one act lasting about 90 minutes.
But the drama, most of it delivered at fever pitch in Three Bone Theatre’s production, too often goes around in circles. Alfaro’s more carefully constructed “Medea,” which Three Bone did last year, held you to the end; “Electricidad,” which closes the current season, loses its grip after thematic repetition and unclear motivation.
Like “Medea” and “Oedipus El Rey,” which Three Bone will mount in its 2025-2026 slate, “Electricidad” adapts a famous tale from Greek drama. The three greatest Greek tragedians (Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides) all took a shot at this narrative, though with substantial differences. Alfaro used the basic common plot — a daughter, grieving her father’s murder by her mother, begs her brother to kill their mom — and spun it off in an interesting direction.
Read the full review, with performance time information, if you want to go:
➡️ Ledger subscribers can add the free Toppman on the Arts newsletter on their “My Account” page.
🇺🇸 Election notes: Black Political Caucus sticks with endorsements; Ajmera way ahead in fundraising; Candidate forum Tuesday
Now through the city of Charlotte primary election, Sept. 9, The Ledger will round up tidbits of election news. For impartial election information that’s free to all, look for our Election Hub, coming later this month, with all the information you need to cast an informed vote.
◼️ Influential group backs mostly incumbents, won’t redo tabulation: The Black Political Caucus says it is sticking with its endorsements, after some candidates raised questions last week about fairness and said some caucus members eligible to vote for the endorsement didn’t receive ballots.
In a statement Saturday, the BPC said the process “was carried out in a fair and transparent manner, ensuring accuracy and integrity in tabulation,” according to WFAE.
The BPC endorsements can be influential, especially in Democratic primary elections in Democratic-heavy districts.
The BPC endorsed almost every City Council incumbent, with a few exceptions. It backed Joi Mayo, who is challenging incumbent Tiawana Brown in District 3, which spans parts of west Charlotte and Steele Creek. It didn’t offer an endorsement in District 7, a south Charlotte district represented by Republican Ed Driggs. And in District 6 in the SouthPark area, which is an open seat, the BPC endorsed Kimberly Owens, a Democrat who will face the winner of a Republican primary.
◼️ Ajmera has substantial cash advantage, reports show: Democratic at-large City Council candidate Dimple Ajmera is turning heads by adding to her substantial campaign war chest.
According to campaign finance documents filed with the State Board of Elections, Ajmera had $165,000 cash on hand at the end of June — far more than any of her competitors.
She had $148,000 at the beginning of the year, and then raised an additional $24,000 in the first six months of 2025, campaign finance documents show, while spending a little under $7,000 during that time.
That is far more than she is expected to need for this year’s election. Political watchers figure she is amassing money for an eventual run for mayor. As with many council members, some of her biggest contributors are in the real estate development industry, but she also draws support from people in a wide range of industries.
With six figures in the bank, Ajmera has about four times as much cash on hand as her three at-large colleagues combined: Victoria Watlington had $31,000, LaWana Mayfield had $19,000 and James “Smuggie” Mitchell had $2,200, according to campaign finance documents filed with the state.
Ajmera has more than even Mayor Vi Lyles ($87,000).
◼️ Candidate forum Tuesday: WFAE and the League of Women Voters of Charlotte Mecklenburg are holding a candidate forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 19) at WFAE’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement uptown. It will be live-streamed. Details here.
—Tony Mecia
Join us for a free webinar on Wednesday on muscle health; check out last week’s engaging discussion on arthritis
Join us Wednesday for the third of three free lunchtime webinars designed to help you stay active, reduce joint pain and build strength as you age.
This week’s topic: “Stronger For Longer: How to Build and Maintain Muscle as You Age.” We’ll talk with Dr. Robert Morgan of OrthoCarolina about muscle longevity, focusing on the importance of maintaining muscle health and strength as we age: what happens to muscle over time, what kinds of movement matter most and how to safely build strength that lasts—especially if you’re not 25 anymore.
It’s Wednesday (Aug. 20) at 12 p.m. Reserve your spot now — it’s free!
All about arthritis
You can also check out last week’s engaging discussion on arthritis — what it is, how it is diagnosed and steps you can take to help prevent it and treat it. The discussion is on YouTube, and look for it this week as an episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
THURSDAY: “Back to School with CMS Leadership,” 8-9:30 a.m., AC Hotel Charlotte Ballantyne. Come to August’s South Charlotte Partners Breakfast Club to hear a panel discussion featuring CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill and school board members Lisa Cline and Summer Nunn. The program will include an overview of successes from the 2024-2025 school year, highlights from local schools, the importance of workforce development programs and an update on the Capital Improvement Plan/Bond projects (2017 and 2023). Free. Registration required.
FRIDAY: “Brain Health Workshop Information Session,” 9:30-11:30 a.m., at The Ivey Brain Health & Memory Wellness Center, 6030 Park South Dr. Learn more about upcoming eight-week workshops to help build brain-healthy routines at The Ivey, Charlotte’s premier memory wellness center. A free information session is on August 22 for the weekly workshops that start September 12. Registration required. Free.
SEPTEMBER 10: “The Business of Sports: An In-Depth Look at the Intersection of Athletics, Finance, and Branding,” 12:00-1:30 p.m., at The Charlotte City Club, 121 West Trade St. Join the Charlotte Economics Club for a engaging lunchtime panel that pulls back the curtain on the multibillion-dollar engine powering professional sports. From surging franchise valuations to the complex financial structures behind teams, leagues and stadiums, this conversation will explore the business strategies shaping the future of athletics. Registration required. $60 for members. $75 for non-members.
OCTOBER 23: “Carolina Charm: A Night of Reality TV-Inspired Entertainment & Impact,” 7-10 p.m., at The Revelry, 701 Keswick Ave. Hosted by Southern Charm’s Shep Rose and Austen Kroll, this girls’ night out blends celebrity, cocktails, and a cause, benefiting fertility preservation for kids with rare cancers. VIP 10-top tables include premium seating, an exclusive cocktail hour, swag bags, a private meet & greet with Shep and Austen, and more. Tables are limited! General Admission tickets are also available for an unforgettable night of entertainment, cocktails, and fun. Can’t make it to Carolina Charm? Enter the raffle for a chance to win TWO tickets to Bravocon in Las Vegas! Every entry supports fertility preservation for kids fighting rare cancers. VIP 12-Top Table - $5,000. General Admission 12-Top - $3,000. General Admission 10-Top - $2,500.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
More delays for Gateway Station: Charlotte’s long-planned Gateway Station faces fresh delays as weak market conditions, funding disputes, and shifting priorities between the city and NCDOT cast doubt on whether the transit hub will be ready by its 2030 target. (Axios Charlotte)
16-year-old killed in drive-by shooting: A 16-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting off North Tryon Street near Sugar Creek Road on Sunday morning, police said. The victim, a rising junior at Julius Chambers High, was shot outside of his home at about 3:30 a.m. (WSOC)
Public TV cuts ahead: PBS North Carolina might need to cut as much as 20% of its staff, or nearly 30 people, following the loss of $5M in federal funding, the network’s CEO said. (WFAE)
Latino festival canceled: Organizers of the Hispanic Heritage Festival of the Carolinas said they will not hold the festival this year, saying “the current immigration climate has created a challenging environment for large Latino events in our city.” The event is typically held at Truist Field uptown. (Observer)
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