Entries by admin
A Home for All Strategic Framework: Released Today
I am excited to share, today, the release of A Home for All: Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Strategy to End and Prevent Homelessness – Part 1: Strategic Framework. This document represents the culmination of our community’s work to develop a comprehensive, transformative strategy to address both housing instability and homelessness. Cathy Bessant, Vice Chair of Global Strategy at Bank of America; and Eugene Woods, President and CEO of Atrium Health, served as the co-chairs of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS), which is the body that produced this framework. Launched almost one year ago, CMHHS is truly a community-wide effort. CMHHS incorporated representation from across the public and private sectors to develop a strategy that ensures that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in Charlotte-Mecklenburg; a strategy that is focused on providing every person access to permanent, affordable housing and the resources to sustain their housing. This is our collective vision. With the release of the framework today, we aim to make it our reality. This brief provides highlights from the new framework and outlines next steps, including opportunities for continued engagement in the months ahead, and ultimately, the potential for permanent, positive change in Mecklenburg County.
A Youth-Focused Point-in-Time Count
Each year, during the final Wednesday of January, Charlotte-Mecklenburg conducts an annual Point-in-Time Count. This action is intended to capture the number of people experiencing “literal homelessness” in the community. “Literal homelessness” is defined as residing overnight in an emergency shelter; safe haven; transitional housing facility; or in an unsheltered location unfit for human habitation. The 2022 Point-in-Time Count will spotlight the issue of youth homelessness. The Youth Advisory Board (YAB), which is supported by The Relatives and comprised of youth with lived experience of homelessness will conduct a youth-led initiative coined “Reach One, Teach One”. Reach One, Teach One aims to give a voice to youth experiencing homelessness – a population that is often hesitant to share their housing status and experiences homelessness in ways that differ from the traditional perception of sleeping on the street. This week’s blog shares insight from a representative of the YAB, Dajhun Mack, 22, and ultimately, what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy: Community Progress Update
Together, we serve as co-chairs for the working group that launched the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS) in April 2021. This post provides the latest progress update and next steps regarding CMHHS, a community effort to develop a comprehensive and transformative multi-year strategy seeking to end and prevent homelessness and to ensure that everyone has access to permanent, affordable housing and the resources necessary to sustain it.
FY2021 NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)
The HUD CoC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition was released August 18th, by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), making $2.6 billion in competitive funding available to homeless services organizations across the country for supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. Each of the 400+ Continuums of Care across the nation will submit one application for funding to meet community need. Consolidated applications are due Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Click here to read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and for more information from the HUD website.
Progress Update: 2025 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy
In April, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS) was launched. CMHHS is a comprehensive community-wide effort involving the public, private and non-profit sectors to develop a strategic plan to end and prevent homelessness in our community. As co-chairs for the working group launching the new strategy, we are pleased to share that participation in this important community-driven planning process continues to grow. There are over 250 individuals and more than 115 organizations, including providers who serve on the front lines, and individuals that have lived experience with housing instability or homelessness. Participants also include representatives from the county, city, and school system; corporate and business sectors; healthcare, workforce development, childcare, transportation and other complementary sectors; non-profits; funding and faith communities; grassroots organizations; and housing developers, landlords and real estate entities. In October 2021, we will share the results of this work: a multi-year, strategic plan to help Charlotte-Mecklenburg become a national leader in addressing current and preventing future homelessness by offering aligned strategies, unified goals, and clear funding pathways. Our shared vision is that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in Charlotte-Mecklenburg – where every person has access to permanent, affordable housing as well as the resources to sustain it. This update provides information about the latest milestones achieved, next steps – including opportunities for continued engagement in the weeks ahead – and the impact on our community.
One Number Update: July 2021
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services first released the “One Number” in 2019 as part of the annual Charlotte-Mecklenburg State of Housing Instability & Homelessness Report. Since that initial release, the One Number has become the “go-to” for the count of people who are experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The One Number can be found on the Housing Data Snapshot, a hub for the latest information related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Generated from a By-Name List within the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the One Number captures the number of people enrolled in Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Street Outreach; Permanent Housing (those enrolled but not yet housed); and Coordinated Entry projects in HMIS. The One Number includes both sheltered homelessness and a portion of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In addition, the One Number can be broken down by both household composition and population type; elements include single individuals, families, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. The One Number can also be analyzed by inflow to, and outflow from, homelessness. By comparing One Number data over time (including by household composition, population or by inflow/outflow), the community can identify trends. Once identified, these trends can then inform interventions. Before the One Number was available, the best approximation for the number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg was the annual Point-in-Time Count. The Point-In-Time Count is exactly that: a limited, one-night snapshot of a point in time designated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The One Number, then, represented a significant step toward a more comprehensive, timely enumeration of all the people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. However, there are still many households who experience housing instability and/or homelessness that are not captured as part of the One Number. It is critical to identify the households “in the gap” to understand both the need for services and to construct effective solutions to address these needs. An important outcome of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS) is to identify and close the remaining gaps in data collection and reporting across the full housing continuum. To that end, we are excited to share that, in August 2021 as part of the work to paint a full picture of housing instability and homelessness, we will be releasing a new data update that will attempt to comprehensively cover the full housing continuum. This improvement in gathering and reporting data will include existing features on the Housing Data Snapshot, like the One Number and Coordinated Entry, and will also seek to identify where applicable gaps exist. This update will be shared for the first time next month. This week’s blog post provides the latest One Number update, including latest trends and analyses; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
One Number Update: June 2021
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services first released the “One Number” in 2019 as part of the annual Charlotte-Mecklenburg State of Housing Instability & Homelessness Report. Since that initial release, the One Number has become the “go-to” for the count of people who are experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The One Number is found on the Housing Data Snapshot, a hub for the latest information related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Generated from a By-Name List within the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the One Number captures the number of people enrolled in Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Street Outreach; Rapid Re-housing (those enrolled but not yet housed); and Coordinated Entry inventories in HMIS. The One Number includes both total sheltered homelessness and a portion of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In addition, the One Number can be broken down by both household composition and population type; elements include single individuals, families, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. The One Number can also be analyzed by inflow to, and outflow from, homelessness. By comparing One Number data over time (including by household composition or by inflow/outflow), the community can identify trends. Once identified, these trends can then inform interventions. To read more about how the One Number works, click here. We are excited to share that in addition to disaggregated data by race and ethnicity, we now have disaggregated data by age, beginning with data from the month of May 2021. This week’s blog post provides the most recent One Number update, including the new disaggregated data by age; latest trends and analyses; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Progress Update: 2025 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy
In April, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS) was launched. CMHHS is a comprehensive community-wide effort involving the public, private and non-profit sectors to develop a strategic plan to end and prevent homelessness in our community. As co-chairs for the working group launching the new strategy, we are pleased to share participation has grown to include over 200 individuals and over 115 organizations. Participants include those from the county, city, and school system; corporate and business sectors; healthcare, workforce development, childcare, transportation and other complementary sectors; non-profits; funding and faith communities; and housing developers, landlords and real estate entities. It was also important to us that we include providers who serve on the front lines, and individuals with lived experience with housing instability or homelessness. And, we continue to grow. By October 2021, this group will have established a five-year strategic plan to help Charlotte-Mecklenburg become a national leader in addressing current and preventing future homelessness by offering aligned strategies, unified goals, and clear funding pathways. Our shared vision is that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in Charlotte-Mecklenburg where every person has access to permanent, affordable housing as well as the resources to sustain it. The purpose of this update is to share information about the milestones we have achieved since our launch and next steps, in addition to what this means for the people in our community.
One Number Update: May 2021
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services first released the “One Number” in 2019 as part of the annual Charlotte-Mecklenburg State of Housing Instability & Homelessness Report. Since that initial release, the One Number has become the “go-to” for the count of people who are experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The One Number is found on the Housing Data Snapshot, a hub for the latest information related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Generated from a By-Name List within the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the One Number captures the number of people enrolled in Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Street Outreach; Rapid Re-housing (those enrolled but not yet housed); and Coordinated Entry inventories in HMIS. The One Number includes both total sheltered homelessness and a portion of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In addition, the One Number can be broken down by both household composition and population type; elements include single individuals, families, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. The One Number can also be analyzed by inflow to, and outflow from, homelessness. By comparing One Number data over time (including by household composition or by inflow/outflow), the community can identify trends. Once identified, these trends can then inform interventions. This week’s blog post provides the most recent One Number update; latest trends and analyses; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
