Charles "Charlie" Rinker was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia. He received his undergraduate degree from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and his graduate degree in divinity at Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. Charlie met his wife, Lora Rinker, in either high school or church according to Lora, and after Lora's graduation from James Madison University in 1962, the couple married. They both attended Drew Seminary for graduate school, graduating in 1966.

Following graduation, Charlie and Lora moved to Washington, DC, with four other Drew students and Charlie began working for the Council of Churches of Greater Washington (CCGW). While working for CCGW, Charlie got involved in housing advocacy and work, particularly though a project called People United Against Slum Housing, which worked to pressure slum landlords to maintain their rental properties or sell to tenants.

The Rinkers moved to Arlington in 1969 to help tackle racism and promote civil rights in a "white community." According to Charlie, the Washington, DC, black community in the late 1960s called on white civil rights advocates to move into majority white areas and use their privilege to further civil rights. Charlie and Lora bought a house in Arlington where they raised their three children and lived for the remainder of their lives.

Charlie began his work in affordable housing in 1975 after Arlington was approved as a community development block grant community. He, along with Ellen Bozman and other community members, formed a community group to decide what to do with that designation and accompanying grant. Since the County did not have a Housing Authority and was uninterested in forming one, they decided to form an affordable housing nonprofit, which became the Arlington Housing Corporation (AHC), an organization which still runs to this day. Charlie served as the organization's second president and later served on the board for many years. "Known initially as the Arlington Housing Corporation, AHC has evolved from a nonprofit grassroots entity providing a home improvement program for low and moderate-income homeowners in Arlington to a full-service organization whose low and mixed-income housing communities serve Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery County and the Baltimore area in Maryland."

Charlie Rinker became actively involved in Arlington County affordable-housing issues in the 1990s as a result of the contentious battle over the redevelopment of Arna Valley. He and other community members organized to protest the redevelopment of Arna Valley, which displaced over 700 low-income and minority households. This moment marked a watershed in Arlington County's commitment and concern for affordable housing and motivated the County to appoint an Affordable Housing Task Force, which set the basis for the County's new Affordable Housing Principles and Goals.

Arna Valley's destruction particularly motivated Charlie to establish two new organizations: Arlington New Directions Coalition (ANDC) and Buyers and Renters Arlington Voice (BRAVO). ANDC was founded to advocate for an economically and culturally diverse community that is responsive and caring toward all. It was an informal, community based discussion group that aimed help make Arlington a more caring and compassionate community through education and advocacy. ANDC served as the backbone for much of Charlie's ongoing work in affordable housing. As President of ANDC, Charlie headed and supported many local initiatives to promote affordable housing in Arlington County. Charlie was active with ANDC from its founding in 1999 to its end in 2013. BRAVO was founded as a tenant empowerment and education organization that aimed to advance and defend the rights and interests of Arlington's tenants by empowering them and working together to preserve affordable housing and the economic and cultural diversity of the community. Charlie also co-founded Arlington Home Ownership Made Easier (A-HOME) in 1989, which sought to increase the number of low and moderate income and minority homeowners in the County through education and counselling.

The Alliance for Housing Solutions (AHS) leads HousingArlington, a coalition of housing and safety net providers. The coalition's aim is to share information and resources to effectively advocate for a range of housing issues in Arlington, including budget issues. AHS took the lead in crafting a coalition approach to housing needs, particularly in regard to the Arlington County budget, in 2010. In 2013, AHS teamed up with Arlington New Directions Coalition to convene several meetings throughout the year exploring housing-focused coalition work.

Charlie Rinker died at the age of 74 on January 8, 2015. A month prior the Virginia General Assembly honored both Charlie and Lora Rinker for their "leadership and devotion to the community." Following his death, Arlington County proclaimed January 18, 2015 as "Tribute Day for Charlie Rinker" in recognition for his contributions to affordable housing and community development in Arlington.

Although Lora Rinker was involved in Charlie's work to advocate for affordable housing, she focused her efforts on combating hunger and homelessness. In 1991 she co-founded A-SPAN (Arlington Street People's Assistance Network) and served as its Executive Director until 2007. While running A-SPAN, she also started Arlington's first emergency winter shelter for the homeless.