Life Can Be More Affordable

A perspective from Chapel Hill Councilman Theo Nollert on the bold actions that could help all North Carolinians thrive.

Our homes are the foundations of our lives. They are the places where we start and end our days, raise our families, rest, host friends, recuperate, and relax. Everyone deserves a dignified, affordable home.

But for too many North Carolinians, such homes are out of reach. And unless we make bold changes, more and more of us will find dignified, affordable homes impossible to come by, whether renting or buying.

Nearly 40% of North Carolinians live in unaffordable homes. Many live far away from their jobs because they don’t make enough money to live where they work. They face these challenges because our state and municipal governments have failed them. Our towns and cities have, for decades, resisted new housing and redevelopment instead of embracing it. Our legislature is even worse: it has refused to legalize rent stabilization and to make smart, high-rew…