June 10. Willie Jones, the first executive director of the Smithville Community Coalition, has passed away. He recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to affordable housing, community development, and social justice at the Affordable Housing Awareness Month breakfast hosted by Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region.

Willie Jones

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, June 18 at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church 232 Skyland Ave. in Charlotte. Visitation will be 11 am to noon and the service at 12, followed by food and fellowship.

A leader

Jones’s leadership was instrumental in the production of over 5,000 units of affordable or mixed-income housing, valued at more than $500 million. He was inducted into the Affordable Housing Finance magazine’s Hall of Fame, recognizing his significant impact on affordable housing and urban development.

After retiring and relocating to Cornelius in 2014, he earned a Master of Theological Studies from Hood Theological Seminary in 2016 and was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel in 2018.

He has also assisted churches in restructuring their debt to free up resources for active ministries. His efforts have led to the development of 112-unit and 72-unit affordable housing initiatives in Charlotte.

He and his wife Pam Jones received Individual Diversity Champion awards from the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce in 2018.