Finding Stability, Building Resilience: A Housing Conversation with Karon McKinney

Our team had the pleasure of sitting down with the incomparable and awe-inspiring Karon McKinney for an important discussion around the state of housing stability in Winston-Salem, and the importance of self-care and resilience. 

Housing stability is one of the most pressing issues facing families, individuals, and veterans in our community. But behind the numbers and systems are real people navigating financial strain, trauma, transition, and uncertainty.

Karon McKinney of United Way of Forsyth County leads housing and veteran initiatives and is also a trauma resilience trainer and practitioner.

Our conversation explored the current housing crisis, the realities of hidden homelessness, the unique challenges veterans face, and why resilience, connection, and even joy are essential—for both those receiving support and those doing the work.

What are the most common barriers people face when trying to maintain stable housing?

According to Karon, one of the biggest barriers is simply the lack of available housing.

She noted that communities across the country including Forsyth County and North Carolina haven’t built enough housing over the past decade to keep pace with population growth. As more people move to North Carolina for work and opportunity, pressure on the housing market continues to grow.

She also pointed out an important distinction between affordable housing and subsidized housing:

Subsidized housing means another entity, such as a housing authority or assistance program, pays part or all of someone’s housing costs. Affordable housing, on the other hand, refers to housing that is reasonably priced based on a person’s income.

“Our salaries haven’t kept up with the changes,” she said. “Our community is suffering.”

What misconceptions exist about homelessness and housing instability?

One of the biggest misconceptions, she said, is that homelessness isn’t always visible. She described the reality of “hidden homelessness” in our community, families living in hotels, young people couch surfing, and people staying with friends or relatives because they don’t have a stable place of their own. For many families, hotels become one of the only ways to stay together when shelter options are limited.

“We only have one family shelter in town, and many families live in hotels in 

order to stay together.”

But that temporary solution comes at a high cost. Hotel rooms can consume hundreds of dollars each week, leaving little opportunity to save for a security deposit or first and last month's rent, or to overcome credit challenges that stand in the way of permanent housing.

“You’re keeping your family together,” she said. “But getting out of that cycle 

is next to impossible.”

What unique challenges do veterans face when it comes to housing stability and support?

She reflected on the transition many veterans experience when returning to civilian life. While careful to speak from the perspective of someone who serves veterans rather than having lived that experience herself, she described it as a significant cultural shift. Military life often provides structure, routine, community, and clearly defined roles. When that structure suddenly changes, many veterans find themselves navigating a world that can feel unfamiliar and isolating.

She also noted that asking for help can be difficult for anyone, especially for people who have spent years being trained to be self-reliant. That’s why trust, support, and community matter so much.

Why does connection matter so much in housing and economic mobility?

One theme that frequently surfaced throughout our conversation: people don’t move forward alone.

She reflected on how nonprofits often measure individual outcomes financial progress, housing stability, or employment but don’t always recognize the impact of connection itself.

For people experiencing housing instability, financial stress, or major life transitions, relationships can be just as important as services. Strong support networks help people navigate complex systems, access resources, stay encouraged, and build a sense of belonging.

How would you explain trauma-informed care or trauma resilience in practical terms?

She explained that trauma-informed care began in the mental health field and is often understood as a comprehensive organizational approach. Becoming truly trauma-informed requires investment, training, and long-term commitment across an entire organization. At the same time, she acknowledged the reality many nonprofits face: limited funding, limited staff, and people serving others while stretched incredibly thin.

That reality inspired her to develop a practical approach centered on trauma resilience and daily practice.

“We need to know what to do today,” she said. “You can start today yourself.”

Through her work, Karon developed Rooted in Resilience, a community of practice that helps people regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with themselves, build resilience, and support one another. The model includes weekly opportunities for practice, reflection, and connection. For her, resilience isn’t simply something we talk about it’s something we practice.

What is secondary trauma, and why does it matter in nonprofit work?

She also spoke about the impact of secondary trauma on people working in nonprofit and human service organizations.

“If you are walking alongside someone who is suffering, you suffer too,” she said. “That’s part of our connection as human beings.”

Professionals often feel pressure to keep going, keep helping, and keep responding to one crisis after another. But she reminds us, helpers are human too.

“We are human beings and we are beautifully made,” she said. “But that means that as we’re helping people, we must take care of ourselves as well.”

She emphasized that self-awareness, organizational clarity, and a strong sense of mission all play an important role.

How do organizations and helpers build resilience?

“Reaction is not self-care,” she said. “Resilience-building self-care is a plan.”

That plan looks different for everyone. What works for one person may not work for another, and what worked yesterday may not work today. The key is intentionally building practices and relationships that help people stay grounded over time. For her, one of those practices is music. 

In addition to her work in housing, veteran services, and trauma resilience, Karon is a jazz singer and one of the leaders behind the Siren Series, a weekly jazz community featuring female and female-identifying musicians. She describes music as a weekly practice that fills her soul and helps sustain her in work that can often be emotionally demanding.

What gives you hope?

Even while discussing difficult topics like housing instability, homelessness, trauma, and systems change, she consistently returned to hope. She spoke optimistically about progress in state housing policy, stronger community partnerships, improved infrastructure, and the growing recognition that housing challenges must be addressed across systems rather than by individual organizations working alone. 

Most of all, she finds hope in the people who show up every day to do this work.

Karon’s closing message was simple:

“Find your joy every day. Reach out to other people, and be the person who’s reaching out.”