Entries by Mary Ann Priester

Reflections on 100 Days of Action

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.

May 22, 2026 /0 Comments/by
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Building a Stronger Future for Supportive Housing

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.

May 21, 2026 /0 Comments/by
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The Gap 2026: What the National Shortage of Affordable Homes Means for Mecklenburg County

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.

May 13, 2026 /0 Comments/by
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2026 Point-in-Time Count: What the Data Reveal About Homelessness in 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.

May 7, 2026 by
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One Number Update: March 2026

Since its inception in 2019, the One Number has served as the primary benchmark for understanding 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.

April 30, 2026 by
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SOHIH 2025: Deep Dive: What the Housing Continuum Tells Us

Housing instability, homelessness, and stable housing represent interconnected stages along a single housing continuum. Each stage reflects whether households are able to obtain and maintain safe, affordable, and sustainable housing over time. Understanding how households move along this continuum helps clarify both the causes of housing instability and homelessness and the solutions required to improve housing stability.

This blog is the fifth and final post in a five-part series examining findings from the 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness (SOHIH) Report. This post brings together key findings from across the housing continuum and examines what these findings reveal about housing stability and housing access in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

April 22, 2026 by
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SOHIH 2025: Deep Dive: Stable Housing and Access to Permanent Housing

Stable housing represents the endpoint of the housing continuum and the foundation for long-term housing stability. While housing instability reflects households at risk of losing housing and homelessness reflects households who have already lost housing, stable housing ensures households can maintain safe, affordable, and sustainable housing over time.

This blog is the fourth in a five-part series examining findings from the 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness (SOHIH) Report. This post takes a closer look at stable housing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, including the role of permanent housing and rental assistance in helping households exit homelessness and maintain long-term housing stability.

April 15, 2026 by
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2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness Report Deep Dive: Understanding Homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Homelessness represents one of the most visible and severe forms of housing instability. While housing instability reflects households at risk of losing housing, homelessness occurs when households lose access to safe, stable, and sustainable housing entirely. Understanding homelessness requires examining both how households enter homelessness and how quickly they are able to exit into permanent housing.

This blog is the third in a five-part series examining findings from the 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness (SOHIH) Report. This post takes a deeper look at homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, including how many households experience homelessness, how long households remain homeless, and how access to permanent housing influences homelessness outcomes.

April 8, 2026 by
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One Number Update: February 2026

Since its inception in 2019, the One Number has served as the primary benchmark for understanding 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.

April 1, 2026 by
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Keeping Families Together: What the Evaluation Shows About Housing Stability and Child Welfare Outcomes

Families involved in the child welfare system are often navigating multiple, intersecting challenges at once, including housing instability, poverty, health needs, and trauma. When housing is unstable, these challenges compound, increasing the likelihood of child welfare involvement and, in the most severe cases, family separation.

The Keeping Families Together model was developed in collaboration with the Corporation for Supportive Housing through its Frequent User System Model (FUSE) to intervene at this intersection by pairing permanent supportive housing with wraparound services for families involved with child welfare who are also experiencing homelessness. A new evaluation of Mecklenburg County’s Keeping Families Together program offers important insight into how this approach is working locally and what it tells us about the role of housing in stabilizing families and reducing system involvement.

This blog summarizes findings from the Mecklenburg County Keeping Families Together program evaluation, highlighting housing outcomes and changes in child welfare involvement for families served between 2020 and 2023.

March 19, 2026 by