Conversations about solving the affordable housing crisis often focus on rising rents and the significant shortage of affordable units available for people with low or extremely low incomes. What is often missing from these discussions is the role that homeownership can play in creating long-term housing affordability and stability.
This blog explores the role of home ownership in addressing the affordable housing crisis and how expanding access to it can be part of the solution in Mecklenburg County.

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.

The Research and News Roundup is a monthly blog series that features a curated list of recent news and research related to housing instability, homelessness, and affordable housing. Together, these topics provide insights about the full housing continuum and provide community stakeholders with information about emergent research, promising practices, and innovative solutions related to housing and homelessness.
This month’s blog focuses on efforts by healthcare systems to address housing instability, data-driven approaches to preserving affordable housing, and a technology solution to more quickly and accurately connect people living unsheltered to shelter resources.

Last week the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released Out of Reach 2025: The High Cost of Housing, an annual report that examines the increasing gap between wages and the cost of rental housing in the United States.

This blog highlights key takeaways from the report, explores state and local data, and considers what these findings mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Regularly reviewing Coordinated Entry System (CES) data is essential for communities working to reduce homelessness. This data provides valuable insights into who is being served, how quickly people are being connected to housing, and whether the system is working equitably. We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Coordinated Entry Data pages, released today. This new resource provides key insights into how the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care (CoC) is implementing Coordinated Entry, including data on system access, assessments, and referrals.

This blog introduces the new Coordinated Entry data pages and highlights how the data can help guide decision-making in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.