Housing instability and homelessness increase a household’s exposure to a wide range of physical, mental, social, and financial challenges. These same households are also more likely to experience disproportionate harm during disasters and major disruptions, including economic shocks, public health emergencies, and extreme weather events. When housing is unstable, even short-term disruptions can escalate into long-term displacement or crisis.
To better understand how well communities are positioned to withstand and recover from such disruptions, the U.S. Census Bureau developed the Community Resilience Estimate (CRE). The CRE provides a data-driven way to identify where social and economic vulnerability may limit a household’s ability to absorb and recover from future shocks. Last year, we examined Community Resilience Estimate data based on the 2023 American Community Survey.

This blog builds on that work by incorporating newly released 2024 ACS data, providing an updated overview of the CRE, examining how vulnerability manifests locally in Mecklenburg County, and discussing how CRE data can inform housing policy, disaster preparedness, and resilience-focused decision-making.

Over the last three days, almost 200 community volunteers including Mecklenburg County staff and CMPD officers joined forces to make #EverybodyCountsCLT a reality. Together, 38 teams conducted outreach across Mecklenburg County to engage with and survey people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The 2026 Point-in-Time Count co-leads, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services and Hearts for the Invisible Charlotte Coalition, extend their deepest gratitude to every individual who shared their story, each partner who helped plan and implement the Count, and all who donated time, supplies, and resources or helped spread awareness about this critical effort.

This blog shares highlights from the 2026 Count, outlines what happens next, and offers ways to stay engaged throughout the year.

Faith organizations play a key role in communities, long before individuals and families enter the formal homelessness response system. They help fill critical gaps by providing food, financial assistance, emotional support, and housing support. Their ability to respond quickly and flexibly makes them essential partners in prevention, crisis response, and long-term stability. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Communities of Faith recently completed the Houses of Faith Survey to gain a better understanding of the work being done by local congregations.

This blog provides an overview of findings from the Houses of Faith survey, highlighting the significant role faith communities play across the housing and homelessness Continuum of Care and opportunities to strengthen collaboration.

This week, the National Alliance to End Homelessness released research findings from their Lived Expertise Action and Research Network Survey.

This blog provides an overview of the survey, study findings, and what these findings may mean for Mecklenburg County.