Wilmington leaders discuss affordable housing during public forum

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A panel of local leaders addressed the public’s questions around affordable housing during a public forum Saturday afternoon.

The panel included New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple and Wilmington City Councilman Kevin Spears, among others.

Those who attended had the chance to submit questions and engage in conversation about affordable housing with the panelists. Topics ranged from homelessness to gentrification and hiking rent prices. Some asked about local ordinances, like one recently passed that prohibits people from sleeping outside the New Hanover County Library in downtown Wilmington.

Organizers said they hope to continue the conversation around affordability and to see change at the state and local level to better support renters and homeowners in the Wilmington community.

“The housing issue is worse than I’ve ever seen it, and I’ve been in Wilmington all my life,” organizer Sonya Bennetone-Patrick said. “I can trace my family history back to the 1800s. It is a real, huge problem and the only way it can get better is if we stand together as a community, hold our legislators accountable, and stand up for what’s right and just.”