Mary Ann Priester, PhD, MSW
Senior Management Analyst
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Since its inception in 2019 , the “One Number” has served as the primary benchmark for the number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
The One Number is the best snapshot available for the number of people actively experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It provides the most accurate minimum number of people experiencing homeless and provides insights into the minimum number of housing units and subsidies needed today to address their homelessness. These data also provide timely insights into the number of people flowing into and out of the homeless services system.
The Housing Data Snapshot, the hub for the latest data related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, not only provides an overall count and demographics of homelessness by household type and subpopulation, it also highlights inflow to (Newly identified, Returns from Permanent Housing, Returns for Inactivity) and outflow from (Exit to Permanent Housing, Exit to Inactivity), homelessness.
This week’s blog post provides the most recent One Number update; a synopsis of recent dashboard updates; the latest One Number trends and analysis; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
LATEST DATA & TRENDS
As of January 31, there are 2,678 individuals in 2,185 households experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This total includes 1,798 single individuals, 157 unaccompanied youth, 198 households with minor children (totaling 678 people), and 39 families with multiple adults (totaling 68 people). Included in the total of 2,678 individuals, 151 are homeless Veterans, and 732 are individuals who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Based on these data, the minimum number of households experiencing homelessness right now (and therefore, the minimum number of housing units and/or subsidies needed) in Charlotte-Mecklenburg is 2,185.
Considering inflow (into homelessness) and outflow (out of homelessness), here are some noteworthy trends:
- Between December 2025 and January 2026, there was a 89 person increase in the total number of people experiencing homelessness. There has been a 10% (or 306 person) decrease in overall homelessness since January 2025.
- In January 2026, 727 individuals entered homelessness (inflow) and 530 people exited (outflow). Of the 727 individuals entering homelessness, 66% (479) were newly identified, 8% (55) returned to homelessness from permanent housing, and 27% (193) returned from an inactive status. Of the 530 individuals exiting homelessness, 29% (152) moved to permanent housing and 71% (378) exited homelessness to an inactive status, which means that they had not been engaged in services for the previous 30 days.
- Between December 2025 and January 2026, overall homelessness increased for all populations except veterans which decreased by 2 people. There was a 5% increase among single adults (83 people), a 4% increase among unaccompanied youth (6 people), and a 1% increase among persons that meet the criteria for chronic homelessness (10 people). Among households with minor children, there was a 2% increase in the number of households (4 households) and an 8% increase among multiple adult households (3 households). Finally, the median number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing decreased by 230 days, from 484 to 254 days, and the average number of days decreased from 676 to 520 days. The median tells us the typical number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing while the average includes long-stayers in shelter and people experiencing chronic homelessness.
- According to the most recent One Number data, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, individuals who identify as Black/African American continue to experience homelessness at rates much higher than their proportion of the Mecklenburg County population (76% vs. 33%), while individuals who identify as White, non-Hispanic experience homelessness at a rate much lower than their population prevalence (14% vs. 45%). Individuals who identify as Hispanic/Latino only have a prevalence of 3% in the homeless population but comprise 14% of the Mecklenburg County population; this reflects a possible underrepresentation of the people who experience homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and identify as Hispanic/Latino.
SO, WHAT
The January 2026 One Number data show that while homelessness remains lower than one year ago, recent increases and continued high inflow demonstrate how fragile that progress remains and reinforce that housing availability remains a primary challenge. More people entered homelessness than exited in January, and most exits were to inactive status rather than permanent housing, underscoring the ongoing gap between housing need and housing supply. At the same time, the significant reduction in the median time to housing indicates that when housing resources are available, the system can resolve homelessness more quickly and effectively. The number of households currently experiencing homelessness and increases across most populations highlights that people are entering homelessness more quickly than the system is able to support people in exiting homelessness. Persistent racial disparities further emphasize the need for targeted, equity-focused investments. Together, these trends make clear that continued progress will depend on expanding permanent housing and subsidy availability, strengthening prevention efforts, and aligning resources with the scale and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
