When the Wray Ward team first walked through the doors of Charlotte Family Housing — one of our 2024 EmpoWWer service‑grant recipients — we knew we weren’t just beginning another branding project.

We expected to see a shelter. Instead, we experienced a home. Inside, there’s a cozy lounge area for families to relax, while outside, a bright playground awaits. In the halls, caseworkers greeted parents with warmth and familiarity. Everywhere we looked, there was a sense of welcome and the quiet hum of people working toward something better.

That’s because Charlotte Family Housing isn’t just a temporary solution. It’s a launchpad. A place where families begin the journey toward stability, independence and a future they can build for themselves.

From Shelter to Second Chance

In a city such as Charlotte, where the cost of living continues to climb, housing insecurity is a reality for far too many families. According to Mecklenburg County’s 2024 housing report, 2,784 individuals were experiencing homelessness as of June 2024, a 3% increase from the previous year.

Many of CFH’s clients are single parents who were employed and paying rent, until rising costs, unexpected setbacks or life changes pushed stability out of reach.

“There are so many reasons you can find yourself without secure housing,” said Findley Strange, a Wray Ward senior writer who worked on the project. “It’s way more complex than the stereotypes we often hear.”

That’s why Charlotte Family Housing takes a long-term, holistic approach. Families don’t just get a bed for the night. They enter a two-year program designed to help them regain their footing and build toward lasting independence. The first six months often involve living in CFH’s warm, family-friendly facility and working closely with a caseworker. From there, participants receive job training, financial literacy coaching and assistance finding affordable housing.

And when families move into a new apartment, CFH even offers a “shop” where they can use earned credits to pick out essentials, everything from dishes to crockpots, to make their new space feel like home.

A Clearer Story, a Stronger Impact

Launched in 2018, Wray Ward’s community grant program, EmpoWWer, is rooted in the pillars of creativity, shelter and advancement. It’s our way of sharing our marketing skills and expertise to equip Charlotte-area nonprofits with strategic and creative resources they might not otherwise have access to.

When Charlotte Family Housing submitted their EmpoWWer grant application, they detailed the challenges they needed help solving:

• The CFH name and brand materials didn’t clearly communicate who they were or what made them different.

• Community members and partners often mistook them for other local organizations.

• Their website overwhelmed visitors with too much information.

• They struggled to sum up their mission in a clear, compelling way for potential donors.

We knew the heart of the organization was extraordinary; it just needed to be visible.

Our team members immersed themselves in CFH’s world. We toured the facility, met their caseworkers and leaders, and experienced firsthand the care that goes into every detail. From there, we set out to design some new brand elements that would reflect their compassion, stability and hope.

The result was a new logo and mission statement, refreshed colors chosen with trauma-informed design principles in mind and a streamlined elevator pitch to help staff share their story succinctly and confidently. We also provided a framework for a redesigned website, helping them prioritize the most important information.

Launching the Next Chapter

Charlotte Family Housing’s updated brand launched in 2025, and while it’s still early, the impact is already taking shape. In the long term, CFH hopes the new branding will help them stand out as a leading force for housing stability. With a clearer voice and cohesive visual identity, they now have the tools to articulate their mission, to not only donors but also the families they serve and the broader Charlotte community.

“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Elizabeth Kurtz, executive director of Charlotte Family Housing. “Our partners mention the colors and strong design, but most often they say the logo just feels right, and I think it’s that intangible force that separates a good logo from a great one.”

Kurtz said the partnership with Wray Ward through the EmpoWWer grant was just as impactful as the final product: “If I had to pick one word to describe the collaboration, it would be empowering. We came in thinking we needed a new logo, but through the process, the Wray Ward team listened, learned and guided us to clearly express what we needed for the organization.”

For more on the creative process, read the story behind the new logo or explore Elizabeth Kurtz’s full perspective on the collaboration.

Get Involved With Charlotte Family Housing

There are many ways to support Charlotte Family Housing’s mission of helping families build long-term stability. To learn more about donating, volunteering or getting involved, visit the Charlotte Family Housing website.

Curious about Wray Ward’s service-grant program? Learn more about EmpoWWer.