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Facts That Matter Blog

At the ncIMPACT Initiative, we ground our research in the challenges faced by North Carolina’s state and local leaders and their communities. Through compelling story telling, the Facts That Matter blog shares data and evidence about collaborative problem solving efforts that chart a path forward in communities across the state. We share these stories for the benefit of other communities in pursuit of our mission to improve the lives of North Carolinians.


September 15, 2021

Affordable Housing in NC – The Challenge and Promise

The affordable housing issue is more complicated than finding a home. Recent studies highlight the link between a lack of safe, affordable housing and the impact that substandard housing has on residents’ health, particularly asthma cases in young children. North Carolina faces a shortage of affordable housing, so many North Carolinians live in substandard housing that impacts their wellbeing. A Greensboro community seeks innovative ways to bring community partners together to address these challenges. Watch our PBS NC ncIMPACT Town Hall series episode on this topic by clicking the link at the end of the blog.

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May 7, 2021

Opioid Response Project Impact

The Opioid Response Project launched in 2018 and applied the Collective Impact Model to support local collaboratives in efforts to mitigate the opioid epidemic in their communities. The Opioid Response Project local teams all reported improvements in their ability to collaborate and developed action plans with strategies ranging from public information campaigns to post-overdose response teams, which they implemented.

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April 15, 2021

5 things to know about EITC and the American Rescue Plan Act

Research has found that the EITC increases participation in the labor force, particularly among single mothers, and reduces poverty. But its impacts are generally restricted to families with children. An expanded EITC for workers without qualifying children might similarly encourage work and reduce poverty among these individuals.

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March 29, 2021

School Justice Partnerships

Studies have shown exclusionary discipline practices are ineffective at improving student behavior and disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. School Justice Partnerships are designed to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline and student contact with the justice system. 

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March 19, 2021

Economic Mobility (Blog)

COVID-19 exacerbated many existing issues related to the economic mobility gap, such as low-income employment, education, and small business closures. Charlotte Open for Business is a two-phase approach to both recovery from COVID-19 and strengthening the business community beyond the pandemic.

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March 12, 2021

Overcoming Homelessness (Blog)

In the Asheville/Buncombe County area, there are an estimated 554 people homeless on a given night, which is about 21.5 in every 10,000 people. In Asheville, 40% of the people experiencing homelessness are veterans, which is significantly greater than the national veteran homelessness rate of 11%. Homeward Bound is an organization dedicated to ending the cycle of homelessness through homeless and housing services such as Housing First, along with several community partners.

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March 4, 2021

Youth Suicide Prevention (Blog)

In 2006, the suicide rate for children and youth in Watauga County was thirty percent higher than for the state of North Carolina. To address mental health concerns for students, Watauga High School partnered with Appalachian State University to establish High Country Help.

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February 26, 2021

Improving Community and Police Relations (Blog)

The issue of community and police relations acquired a great deal of public attention in recent years. In 2017, Mayor Sammy Phillips of Jacksonville, NC launched the “One City, Our City, My City” campaign to promote respect, caring, and collaboration among the community. The Jacksonville Police Department adjusted their training and review procedures around use of force incidents and decreased their use of force numbers from 103 instances in 2012 to 23 instances in 2018.

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February 19, 2021

Economic Impact of Historic Preservation (Blog)

Historically a mill town, the decline of the textile industry resulted in economic and job loss for Rocky Mount. The city and private investors engaged in adaptive reuse, which means using buildings in creative new ways beyond the intended original purpose of the building (especially when the original purpose is obsolete), to strengthen the local economy.

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