Entries by Mary Ann Priester

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Amplifying Voices: The Vital Role of Lived Experience Committees in Homelessness Solutions

The voices of people with lived expertise of homelessness are crucial to all planning and decision-making activities related to the Continuum of Care. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care (CoC) Lived Experience Committee (LEC) is a collaborative of individuals who work together to provide a platform for individuals who have experienced homelessness to share their insights, perspectives, and recommendations on issues related to homelessness and the services, policies, and strategies designed to address it.

This blog post will provide an introduction to Lived Experience Committees and highlight the work of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care Lived Experience Committee.

October 25, 2023 by
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Coordinated Entry System

From July 2023 – September 2023, 1637, people (including children) had a Coordinated Entry Housing Needs assessment via a local Coordinated Entry System access point. Coordinated Entry Systems (CESs) are designed to streamline access to services and housing resources, reduce homelessness, and ensure that resources are allocated fairly based on need. The local CES is a collaborative effort between local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and community partners dedicated to addressing homelessness in a coordinated and efficient manner.

This blog provides an overview of Coordinated Entry, what it is and is not, and how persons in need can access the local coordinated entry system.

October 19, 2023 by
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A Home For All: People Pillar

Recently, United Way of Greater Charlotte (United Way) released the A Home For All Implementation Plan. Building on the priorities identified in the Strategic Framework, the Implementation Plan outlines which priorities to advance first in order to address housing instability and homelessness across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. This is the first post in a series of blogs that will examine the three pillars of the A Home For All Implementation Plan: People, Prevention, and Production.

This blog provides an overview of the People Pillar.

October 10, 2023 by
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HUD System Performance Measures: Number of Homeless Persons

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires Continuums of Care (CoCs) to assess their collective efforts to address homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created seven System Performance Measures for this purpose. Annually, Charlotte-Mecklenburg is required to report its performance on six of these measures to HUD. These measures are important for securing CoC funding and serve as tools for local monitoring and system improvement. This is the third post in a series of blogs that examines Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s performance on these measures and the implications for the local community.

This blog provides an overview of and presents data on System Performance Measure Three: Number of Homeless Persons.

October 5, 2023 by
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Empowering Change: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Action Board’s Journey to End Youth Homelessness

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Action Board (YAB) is a collective of individuals aged 18 to 24 who have experienced homelessness. Together, they collaborate to engage in discussions and develop strategies aimed at ending youth homelessness in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

This blog post will provide an introduction to Homeless Youth Action Boards and spotlight the work of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Action Board.

September 27, 2023 by
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Enhancing Support for Older Foster Youth: A Collaborative Ecosystem Analysis

The Division of Youth and Family Services (YFS) within Mecklenburg County’s Department of Social Services (DSS) partnered with First Place for Youth (First Place) to conduct a thorough ecosystem mapping and analysis. The analysis focused on understanding and addressing the needs and gaps of the system serving the county’s older foster youth (18-21) who are preparing to transition out of foster care. The comprehensive analysis process involved extensive stakeholder interviews, targeted focus groups, data analysis, desk research, and meaningful listening sessions with over a dozen youth with lived experience in foster care and encompassed an evaluation of services provided, available community resources, policies, and agency capacity.

To launch the endeavor, a group of young adults with lived experience in the system, YFS staff, and other key stakeholders co-created a future vision for how the system can support older foster youth in the years ahead: “All youth and young adults transitioning out of foster care in Mecklenburg County have the life skills required to thrive and attain self-sufficiency by age 21.”

Mecklenburg County Community Support Services’ Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services Division was also engaged to share insights on other supportive housing models throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg.  Although funding and resources existed for this vulnerable population, deeper investment and more strategic engagement were necessary in order to create better outcomes for aged out youth.

This blog provides an overview of key learnings and recommendations from the ecosystem analysis and how Mecklenburg County is moving from insights to action to improve outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care.

September 20, 2023 by
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A Home For All: How Did We Get Here?

Recently, United Way of Greater Charlotte (United Way) released the A Home For All Implementation Plan. Building on the priorities identified in the A Home for All Strategic Framework , the Implementation Plan outlines which priorities to advance first in order to address housing instability and homelessness across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

Following the publication of the Framework, the community asked United Way to serve as the lead of the enduring structure charged with guiding the work over the next four years and translating the framework into an actionable implementation plan. United Way convened a Technical Committee comprised of 70+ individuals with professional and lived expertise related to homelessness and housing insecurity. The committee helped ensure that implementation priorities were community and data-driven and informed by best practices. Over the last nine months, preliminary initiatives from the Strategic Framework were prioritized and synthesized into the Implementation Plan.

This blog will provide an overview of the work of the Technical Committee and the process for getting from the Strategic Framework to the Implementation Plan.

September 13, 2023 by
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HUD System Performance Measures: Returns to Homelessness

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires Continuums of Care (CoCs) to assess their collective efforts in addressing homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created seven System Performance Measures for this purpose. Annually, Charlotte-Mecklenburg is required to report its performance on six of these measures to HUD. These measures are not only important for securing CoC funding but also serve as tools for local monitoring and system improvement. This is the second post in a series of blogs that will examine Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s performance on these measures and the implications for the local community.

This blog provides an overview of and presents data on System Performance Measure Two: Returns to Homelessness Within 24 Months.

September 7, 2023 by
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Report Reveals Growing Housing Crisis: Analyzing Worst Case Housing Needs

Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the Executive Summary for their 2023 Worse Case Housing Needs Report to Congress.

The  2023 Worst Case Housing Needs Report to Congress analyzes recent data from the 2021 American Housing Survey (AHS) to examine critical housing challenges facing low-income renters. The 2023 report highlights a consistent increase in severe housing needs across demographics, households, and regions in the US since 2019. The rising demand for affordable rental housing continues to surpass income growth and the capacity of government to develop affordable housing stock and provide housing assistance. These factors have led to a record-breaking number of families facing worst case housing needs.

This blog provides an overview of worst case housing needs, the 2023 Executive Summary, and what it means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

August 31, 2023 by
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Understanding Student Homelessness and Support Services

As we begin the 2023-2024 school year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) already has 2,369 students who are enrolled in McKinney-Vento services. CMS closed out the 2022-2023 school year with 4,815 homeless students, a 15% increase from the 4,206 students (including Pre-K and younger siblings) who experienced homelessness and housing instability during the 2021-2022 school year. Homelessness has a significant impact on the physical and mental health of children, often resulting in diminished social-emotional and academic well-being. Children experiencing homelessness and housing instability are at risk for higher rates of school absenteeism, poorer performance in math and reading assessments, school suspensions, and have an elevated risk of high school drop out.

This blog provides an overview of student homelessness and the services that are in place to support them.

August 24, 2023 by