Like many communities throughout the Centralina region, the City of Albemarle is anticipating significant growth in the coming years. City leaders want to ensure they have the staff capacity and capability needed to continue providing high-quality public services to the community’s growing population. They also recognize the need for a long-term, strategic approach to making staffing decisions. To support Albemarle in this effort, Centralina Regional Council recently conducted an organizational study to aid the city in developing a five-year staffing plan. 

At 81 years old, Ms. Rose LaCasse proves that it’s never too late to make a difference. After spending many years as a devoted caregiver to her ailing husband, Ms. LaCasse found herself seeking a new purpose and income through employment. Driven by a desire to serve and connect with others, she turned to the NCWorks Rowan Career Center for support, a decision that would launch her into a remarkable new chapter through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

By visualizing client locations on a map, the Rowan County Health Department has gained critical spatial insights that go beyond traditional data analysis. This spatial awareness serves two essential functions. First, it allows the health department to overlay socioeconomic indicators such as age and disability status from U.S. Census Bureau data on the mapped client distribution.

Held on March 28, 2025, at the Harris Conference Center in Charlotte, NC, the 2025 Annual Aging Conference brought together nearly 300 attendees, including aging professionals, educators, students and community members, all united under the timely theme: Tackling Aging.

In response to the escalating risks and costs of extreme weather, Centralina Regional Council launched a strategic initiative in late 2024 to help local governments across the region better prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Now, we’re using that momentum to submit a no-match grant to help our communities get their infrastructure projects going.

COORDINATE Our Future is a collaborative, regional effort to develop land use, population and employment inputs for the Metrolina Regional Travel Demand Model. Outputs from the model provide the basis for decision-making around transportation planning and investments for the transportation planning organizations across the greater Charlotte region.

One in three older adults are economically insecure and have incomes 200% below the federal poverty level. In addition, older adults are often the target of financial fraud. Understanding the importance of economic security begins with avoiding scams, utilizing basic money management and finding planning tools that work for individual needs. Centralina AAA has partnered with NCOA and Bank of America to pilot the Savvy Saving Seniors program, helping seniors develop smart financial management skills.

Access to high-quality, affordable child care is a growing challenge for working families across North Carolina. In response, Centralina Economic Development District hosted an in-person Child Care Forum on February 15, 2024, bringing together economic developers, child care providers, and local government leaders to develop actionable solutions.

Recognizing that human resources professionals could benefit from additional support as they navigate recruitment, retention and other personnel-related issues, Centralina sought to create a peer networking opportunity for these staff. Our objectives for this effort were to gain a better understanding of the issues affecting human resources professionals, share insights to help address common challenges, identify additional resources to support their work and build peer connections.

Shirley and Melvin Springs reside in Charlotte where they were referred by their insurance company to Centralina AAA for support services. Melvin was diagnosed five years ago with dementia. Melvin, due to his diagnosis, needs 24-hour supervision and hands-on assistance with activities related to daily living. Centralina AAA provided Shirley with opportunities to take time back for herself while knowing Melvin was in good hands. Read on to learn how.