Building Bridges Blog

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.

Research, practice, and lived experience all point to the same conclusion: people exit homelessness and stay housed when they can access safe, decent, affordable, permanent housing with the right level of support. Shelters, outreach, and supportive services are all essential, but we cannot end homelessness without also having an adequate supply of permanent housing resources. This blog provides an overview of why permanent housing is critical to reducing homelessness and examines strategies Mecklenburg County and other communities can use to fund, scale, and sustain permanent housing when federal resources are insufficient to meet local need.

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.

Today, with homelessness in Mecklenburg County rising and housing affordability threatening to push more families into impossible choices and greater instability, our community has access to extensive data and research because of a vision and partnership born over a decade ago. It’s easy to take for granted that it wasn’t too long ago that getting accurate, consistent information on homelessness and housing instability was challenging in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This article reflects on the enduring partnership between the Charlotte Urban Institute and Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, which together, recently marked 10 years of advancing data-driven efforts to address housing instability and homelessness. As the formal project partnership comes to a close, this milestone offers an opportunity to look back on the impact of our shared work, the foundation it leaves for future progress, and the questions we must continue to ask ourselves to ensure data translates into action in people’s lives.

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.

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.

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.

This blog summarizes key findings from the study, explains the concept of residual income cost-burden, and explores what the findings suggest about housing affordability challenges in Mecklenburg County.