If you have ever wanted to know how someone who is currently experiencing homelessness or is at very imminent risk of homelessness accesses available resources in Mecklenburg County (as well as in most other communities in the US), the answer is through completing a coordinated entry (CE) assessment. This blog gives an overview of what CE is and how it operates.
Since its inception in 2019 , the “One Number” has served as the primary benchmark for the number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It provides the best available snapshot of people actively experiencing homelessness and offers critical insight into the minimum number of housing units and subsidies needed today to address that need. The One Number also tracks how people flow into and out of the homeless services system over time.
This week’s blog provides the most recent One Number update, key trends and analysis, and what the latest data mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Every day coordinated entry staff members are the front line of the homelessness response system. They complete assessments, answer phones, and help connect people to available resources, for which the need far exceeds the availability. While their work is not often visible, it shapes who gets help and when.
To get a better picture of what this work is actually like, we asked one coordinated entry staff member a series of questions about their role. Their answers provide an overview of their daily obligations, challenges, and small victories that go into their work.
This weekend, October 10–11, 2026, the National Faith Coalition to End Homelessness (NFCEH) is leading a “Weekend to End Homelessness” across the country. This event intentionally coincides with World Homeless Day, which is October 10th. For this event, over 500 churches throughout the US intend to dedicate their services, prayers, bible classes, and educational curricula to spread awareness about homelessness, what local housing providers are doing, and what practices have been shown to work to mitigate homelessness. This post discusses this event as well as what faith-based organizations have been doing in recent years in the Charlotte area.
The 2025 Budget Reconciliation Law, also known as H.R. 1, makes significant changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as food stamps. While the changes for SNAP have already gone into effect, the changes to Medicaid begin October 1, 2026, for non-citizen residents. The new work requirements for those who are enrolled in Medicaid Expansion, among other changes, will go into effect on January 1, 2027. This post reviews these changes to Medicaid and SNAP, how they impact housing insecurity and homelessness, as well as what residents who receive these benefits should do.
Recently, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released their latest Out of Reach 2026: The High Cost of Housing report. This annual report highlights the mismatch that exists between individuals’ wages and housing prices nationally, at the state level, as well as in every metropolitan area in the country.
In September 2025, professionals in Mecklenburg County working in youth-oriented spaces came together to embark on the 100-Day Challenge to End Youth Homelessness. Multiple organizations, including members of the Mecklenburg County Continuum of Care and the Youth Action Board, were able to share expertise with one another to develop creative solutions for youth homelessness in the community.
This blog provides an explanation of the 100 Day Challenge, the goal and results of the challenge, and next steps following the end of the challenge.
Last month, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) released Building a Stronger Future for Supportive Housing: Lessons Learned from Nationwide Community Conversations, a new report examining what communities across the country are learning about the strengths, challenges, and future of supportive housing.
This blog provides an overview of the report, key findings, and what they might mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
In March, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, its annual report examining the availability of rental housing affordable to the lowest-income households in the United States.
This blog provides an overview of the report, key findings, and what they might mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Each year, communities across the country come together to complete the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, a federally required census of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the PIT Count serves as more than a compliance exercise. It is one of the most important tools we have to understand who is experiencing homelessness in our community, how homelessness is changing over time, and where our system must continue to evolve.
This blog highlights key findings from the 2026 Point-in-Time Count and explores what the data tell us about homelessness trends, emerging needs, and system performance in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
