Granny
[Winston-Salem, NC]
I've known Granny* for the better part of three years. Recently, we sat down to discuss one perspective on the history of Winston-Salem with special attention to the economic experience of the neighborhood she has come to know and love over the course of eighty years.
Granny is a 96 year-old resident of Winston-Salem. Since Granny arrived in the area at age sixteen she has lived in a four block radius of her current residence. The neighborhood was at one time home to a booming industrial community that included a textile mill, furniture manufacturer, and tobacco and dairy facilities within a few blocks of one another. Granny’s husband Junior served the United States Military in World War II. During his tour, Junior became a prisoner of war. Granny did not hear from Junior for six years. Assuming the worst, she remarried. When Junior returned after the sixth year, they renewed their vows and used his compensation to buy a home on the same block. Although he had no secondary education, Junior quickly found work building bridges in the area and brought home plenty to support their small family.
One-by-one factories moved away from the neighborhood first into the outskirts of town and eventually overseas or to Canada (as was the case of the furniture manufacturer, according to Granny.) When Junior passed away, Granny sold their home to settle-up medical bills and cover the cost of the burial.
In the years since Junior’s death, Granny has rented homes within the same city block. Her housemate Sam estimates that Granny has paid the cost of owning a home many times over in rental fees. Granny’s social security check amounts to about $600 each month. The cost to rent is a little over $1000 each month and several hundred in utilities, especially in the winter months as the place lacks insulation. In order to make ends meet, Granny accepts boarders who pay what they can. Sam and his partner Matthew see after her health with the help of a CNA who visits for two hours on weekdays. Currently, Granny is undergoing physical therapy. On the second day of my visit, Granny used her walker to the restroom by herself, a feat that she considers an accomplishment.
Sam shared that the modest, three bedroom house is home to upwards of twelve boarders when times get tough. Although the intention is that each border will pay his keep, Sam says the sum rarely suffices.
Patterson Street is located within the zip code xxx01, wedged between the wealthy households of the greater Reynolda Road area and big business that distinguish downtown, less than one mile away. In 2010 the estimated median household income for xxx01 was $33,747 as compared to $44,958 across the state and $73,849 in the adjacent zip code xxx04.
In 2010 39.2% of residents in xxx01 lived below the poverty line as compared with 16.2% across the state and 8.5% in the aforementioned adjacent zip code. While these numbers are staggering, Sam offers that those living in the neighborhood “struggle with something.” For some it may be an addiction or a criminal record. For others, Sam suggests that the mere difficulty of poverty is enough to spark a damaging habit, especially for those who have experienced homelessness. For the neighborhood community homelessness is not unfamiliar. After all, one could throw a stone to both the men’s and women’s shelters.
*names and other specifics changed to protect anonymity