NCLM Southern City Volume 71, Issue 2, 2021

NCLM.ORG 29 whose income falls between 50 and 80 percent of the area’s median income. The location of the townhomes is within walking distance to public transportation, employment, grocery and other stores, Main Street, and Davidson College. “We heard the feedback from the community loud and clear and believe that incorporating AH into the Hoke Townhome plans is the right thing to do,” said Jacob Anderson, owner and broker-in- charge of Alliance Group of NC, the project developer. “The best thing we can do to bring value to the Davidson community is to be responsive to clearly-identified needs and desires.” While assisting only a handful of families, the town hopes the proj- ect will serve as a model. Attempts tomeet the differing housing needs of residents is not confined to North Carolina’s larger cities. Officials inmid-sizedmunicipalities and smaller towns increasingly recognize that manyworkers struggle to find safe housingwhich they can afford. In Belmont, the local government, Habitat for Humanity, and pri- vate developers recently came together to build the Dixon Village Development, a pioneering project that includes housing targeted at residents of different income levels. These efforts do not fully address the need, and municipal leaders would never argue that they do. They can, though, set the stage for more cooperative work, across levels of government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to address the need in real and substantial ways. These local efforts—big and small—are a recognition that the need for affordable and workforce housing is extensive across the state. They also are a statement that cities and towns are committed to leading the way in addressing that need. Affordable Housing