Top Stories for Sept. 27, 2023

Two babies interacting at daycare

Mecklenburg County provides this weekly rundown of top stories from the Board of County Commissioners meetings and from the Public Information Department’s newsroom. The Board met on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The agenda is available here or view the meeting at Watch.MeckNC.gov. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.

1. HOMES Helping Homeowners: The Board of County Commissioners heard an update on the HOMES program—Helping Out Mecklenburg’s homeowners with Economic Support. The program is intended to help residents reduce the annual cost of homeownership. So far this year, HOMES has approved grants of more than $575,000 to County homeowners and, in partnership with the City of Charlotte, an additional $256,000 to homeowners in the city limits. The number of applications received and approved this year has increased.

Apply: The HOMES program is open through Nov. 17, offering qualifying homeowners an economic assistance grant of up to $660. There is no age requirement, and the home does not have to be paid off. Visit MeckNC.gov/4HOMES for details.

2. Staying Safe, Not Sick: Public Health delivered an update to the Board on its work to investigate, track, and control communicable diseases that may affect the health of residents. It included restaurant inspections and food safety; flu and COVID-19 vaccinations; rabies control; HIV and sexually transmitted diseases; and vaccines for childhood preventable diseases. Learn more at Health.MeckNC.gov. Public Health also announced the upcoming roll-out of two mobile units, upfitted for clinical services to help in immunization efforts and other initiatives. In addition, a mobile dental unit is schedule to arrive in summer 2024.

3. Crawl, Walk, Run: The first three years of a child’s life are the most sensitive in their development. But many families face challenges during these years. Consistent with the Board’s priority to expand services that promote early childhood development, the County has introduced the Prenatal to Three Strategic Plan which works to improve the trajectory of child and family well-being in those early years. A committee of County and community leaders developed a vision that all children are born healthy, and their families have equitable access to high-quality resources and supports to help them achieve their optimal development. 

4. Tee Time for Vets: It’s almost time for Mecklenburg County’s annual veterans golf tournament. It is free to all veterans with a military ID. The tournament will be held Friday, Oct. 6 at the Harry L. Jones Sr. Golf Course, 1525 West Tyvola Road in Charlotte. 

5. Honoring the Past, Uplifting the Present, Shaping the Future: Mecklenburg County’s Office of Economic Development will host free educational sessions in conjunction with Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. Those sessions will take place Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive in Charlotte. They will connect guests with experts on building a business, emotional intelligence, branding, and finance, and host a discussion on access to capital. MED Week is Oct. 2 through Oct. 5 and celebrates minority business enterprises and the organizations that support minority business development.