Influential Woman · Homeless Services Housing Retention

Vickie CraigheadDavis

Founder/Executive Director, Building Hope Building Commitment, INC

Charlotte , NC

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree JCSU alumni Member Enfi Counts Member LGBTQ Member JCSU alumni

Her Story

About Vickie

I am a housing and community development professional with 15 years of experience advocating for the homeless population, affordable housing, and housing retention services. As the Founder and Executive Director of Building Hope Building Commitment, which I incorporated in 2020, I lead a housing stabilization organization focused on housing retention. I am currently working on a national Retention Stabilization model that addresses what is needed for individuals to sustain housing and prevent even going into homelessness. I spent 15 years working in emergency shelters, day service centers, and homeless service agencies all throughout Mecklenburg County before founding my organization. I most recently served as Director of Housing Navigation at Roof Above. My work now includes place-based services where we're inside of properties providing retention services to residents, including vulnerable veterans, as well as a scatter site model where I house individuals within the community. My passion for this work comes from my lived experience - I personally experienced homelessness twice in my life, and it really was about lack of resources within systems and personal choices that people make when they know they have to get out of a situation. I am deeply committed to treating people with dignity and respect and meeting them where they are, and my goal is to definitely make an impact in this world.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Vickie

01What do you attribute your success to?

I think I would say my lived experience. I know how it feels to need help. I personally experienced homelessness twice in my life, and it wasn't entirely due to substance use or mental health or not being committed. It really was about lack of resources within systems and personal choices that people make when they know they have to get out of a situation. That lived experience fuels my passion and my commitment to this work, because I understand what my clients are going through on a deeply personal level.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Take your time and learn what to learn to be successful. One step at a time. We want to do so much, because there was so much that I wanted to do. I wanted to leave my day job and really focus on it, but just like I tell my clients, you can't leave a job until you have another one. So I waited until I was able to identify a salary for me to sustain this position full-time, and it feels absolutely amazing. You have to have patience, focus on one step at a time, and everything else tends to work itself out.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Love your neighbor. Really and truly, that's the biggest one. It goes with the golden rule - treat others the way that you would like to be treated. My passion is for ensuring that individuals have a safe place to go and treating people with dignity and respect, regardless of what they're going through, meeting them where they are. I believe in leaving the world a better place than how I came in it, and my goal is to definitely make an impact in this world.

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