© 2026 WFAE

Mailing Address:
WFAE 90.7
P.O. Box 896890
Charlotte, NC 28289-6890
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Stein signs executive order targeting housing, affordability

For_Sale_Sign.jpeg
David Ford
/
WFDD

Gov. Josh Stein is taking steps to strengthen housing opportunities and affordability in North Carolina.

The governor signed an executive order on Tuesday outlining his priorities to combat the rising cost of renting or owning a home.  

As part of the initiative, Stein announced the addition of a new senior advisor for housing policy, Janneke Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe previously served with the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

Her role will involve collaborating with state, local and tribal officials to define and implement strategies, goals and policies.

According to a news release, North Carolina faces a gap of more than 750,000 housing units through 2029, primarily impacting low- and moderate-income households.

Affordability is a major concern, with many residents spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.