Driving a New Housing Movement in Charlotte, NC
A Developer with a Higher Calling
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Ascension Community Development Corporation was founded by James Scruggs, a seasoned real estate developer who chose to align his expertise with a greater mission: expanding access to homeownership for Charlotte’s working families.
Through his work at Kingdom Development Partners, James built a reputation for disciplined development and strategic execution. But as Charlotte grew, he saw a widening gap for the “missing middle”—teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, and municipal employees earning around 80% of Area Median Income who were increasingly priced out of ownership.
He decided to build a different model.
Unlike many developers who focus solely on market-rate returns, James is intentional about building communities where attainable homes sit alongside market-rate homes creating integrated neighborhoods that foster dignity, equity, and opportunity. Through Ascension’s Housing to Accelerated Wealth Creation approach, families are prepared for ownership through financial literacy, credit counseling, and homeownership readiness programming—entering homeownership positioned for stability and long-term growth.
James could have chosen the easier route. Instead, he chose to build communities where ownership is attainable, equity is intentional, and growth includes everyone.
Leadership That Moves the Needle
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James Scruggs understands that solving Charlotte’s housing crisis requires more than development expertise—it requires collective leadership.
His relationship with Hugh McColl Jr., one of Charlotte’s most influential civic leaders, reflects a shared belief: lasting change happens when private capital, nonprofit mission, and public leadership align. Addressing housing challenges is not the responsibility of one sector alone.
It takes a city!
Government subsidies alone are not enough. Market-rate development alone is not enough. Real progress happens when developers, banks, philanthropies, municipalities, and community organizations work together toward a common goal—expanding attainable homeownership.
Ascension was built on this model of alignment. By leveraging public-private partnerships and shared expertise, we create mixed-income communities that are economically viable, socially impactful, and built to scale.
This is how Charlotte moves the needle—together!