By: Henrietta Woodward, Executive Director of Community First Land Trust

When I think of attainable housing, I envision middle-class professionals who can afford to pay more but are locked out of the median-priced homes. When teachers, police officers, nurses and firefighters make healthy salaries and can’t buy a home in the town where they work, it causes an at-risk factor for the entire community in which they work.

At-risk factors resulting from a shortage of attainable housing are long commutes to work, accidental car deaths, traffic congestion and low-performing schools. These factors also cause a delay in obtaining life-threatening emergency services. Attainable housing is a much-needed commodity to make our communities RESILIENT.

Our region has started to rise to the challenge attainable housing poses, including these success stories:

• Charleston County’s approval of “Housing Our Future Comprehensive Housing Plan”
• ARPA Funding
• North Bridge Townhomes
• Infill Development in low to moderate wealth communities in North Charleston

I’ve been in the affordable, attainable and low-income housing arena since 1979.

About Henrietta:
Henrietta is the Executive Director of Community First Land Trust, a nonprofit organization that develops “permanently” affordable housing. The land trust’s mission is to build affordable housing in the seven communities that have been adversely impacted by the relocation of the S.C. State Ports Authority to the old Charleston Naval Base. Henrietta sits on several boards focused on housing and Community Development.