Entries by Mary Ann Priester

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Counting Neighbors, Not Numbers: The 2026 Point-in-Time Count

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community will join together for the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. More than a data collection effort, the PIT Count is an opportunity to recognize the dignity of every person experiencing homelessness and to reaffirm the community’s shared commitment to building long-term, equitable solutions.

This blog post provides an overview of the 2026 PIT Count, explains its importance, and outlines how to get involved and support the 2026 PIT Count.

November 12, 2025 by
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Progress and Partnerships: Ending Veteran Homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg

As of September 30, 2025, 138 Veterans were experiencing homelessness in Mecklenburg County. Of these, 37 are chronically homeless, meaning they live with a disabling condition and have experienced homelessness continuously for at least one year, or four or more times over the past three years. Ending Veteran homelessness requires ongoing coordination among multiple partners — including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Mecklenburg County, and a network of dedicated nonprofit organizations. Together, these agencies form a critical safety net that ensures Veterans are connected to the housing and services they’ve earned through their service.

This blog post provides an overview of Veteran homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, recent data trends from the One Number update, and examples of how community collaboration is driving measurable progress toward ending homelessness among Veterans.

November 11, 2025 by
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Supporting Stability After Homelessness

This week, Social Science & Medicine published Creating Livable Lives: A Qualitative Exploration of Life After Homelessness. The study examines how people rebuild their lives after exiting homelessness.
This blog summarizes key findings from the research, highlights strategies that support housing stability, and considers what these insights could mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

October 16, 2025 by
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Youth Homelessness: Key Findings From the National Runaway Safeline Report

This week, the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) released Prevention Needs and Opportunities for Young People at Risk of Homelessness. This national report examines why youth seek help, the challenges they face related to housing instability, and the critical supports needed to ensure long-term positive outcomes.

This blog highlights key findings from the report and what they might mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

October 9, 2025 by
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Research and News Roundup: September 2025

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 blog examines recent research and innovative practices highlighting strategies to prevent displacement, improve care for people experiencing homelessness, and create more equitable affordable housing models.

October 1, 2025 by
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One Number Update: August 2025

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; the latest One Number trends and analysis; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

September 25, 2025 by
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Mecklenburg County Launches 100-Day Challenge to Prevent Youth Homelessness

In July 2024, Chapin Hall released New Opportunities: A National Strategy to Prevent Youth Homelessness. This week Mecklenburg County Continuum of Care (CoC) staff, members of the CoC Youth Action Board (YAB), and representatives from youth-serving organizations came together to plan a 100 Day Challenge to Prevent Youth Homelessness in Mecklenburg County.

This blog provides an overview of key risk factors for youth homelessness, the prevention framework proposed in the report, and the work being done locally to prevent youth homelessness.

September 18, 2025 by
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Why Home Ownership Matters in Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis

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.

September 11, 2025 by