Building Bridges Blog

Today, February 23, 2023 Mecklenburg County Community Support Services  released the 2022 State of Housing Instability & Homelessness (SoHIH) Report. The annual SoHIH report synthesizes, analyzes, and shares local, state, and national data with the community for stakeholders. It serves as the foundation Charlotte-Mecklenburg utilizes to better understand gaps and inform policy and funding decisions and solutions.  This year is the first year in which Mecklenburg County Community Support Services’ Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services Division (HISS) fully authored the report. UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute has provided consultation during this transition in order to maintain the intention and integrity of this report.  Going forward, the SOHIH will build on the success of previous reports produced by UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute and will continue to provide data on the full housing continuum to the community. This blog post outlines the key findings from the 2022 SoHIH and what it could mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Rummaging through old storage boxes, I came across a paper I worked on almost three decades ago, in the fourth grade. The paper was on homelessness, and it was actually the culmination of a whole unit devoted to the topic. I have no conscious recollection of writing it. But I believe that introduction to the topic made an imprint on me, shaping the worldview that I have today. My fourth grade teacher was organized enough to leave behind clues of what we did: we watched a video about a person named Eddie who had experienced homelessness, to see how difficult life is to survive on the streets; we heard from other speakers about how people who experience homelessness fall outside of our circular economy; we saved grocery receipts to learn firsthand how expensive food is; and we read “The Boxcar Children” to help us learn and develop empathy for peers who experience homelessness. Looking back, I’m blown away. Having been exposed to, and invited to struggle with, these complex issues at that age, how could I not both pay attention to, and want to do something about, them as an adult? As part of the new monthly series on the state of housing in the community, today’s blog consists of two primary components: a high-level summary of the latest data and trends on housing instability, homelessness, and affordable housing; and a curated list of relevant housing-related news and research from the month prior. Together, these items are intended to keep all stakeholders in the community informed about both the challenges and the solutions related to addressing the problems of housing instability and homelessness.

As Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” In March 2020, Roof Above - our team and those we serve - faced impediments all around us.  With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roof Above immediately recognized that how we sheltered people, fed people, and offered services had to change to keep those we serve and the community safe. We scoured our city for motel partners to offer the critical need of socially-distanced emergency shelter. It was in that pursuit that I first walked into a hotel at the intersection of Clanton Rd. and Interstate 77 in the spring of 2020. The hotel was facing its own impediments.  Largely providing one-night stays to people passing through our community, the hotel was struggling given the steep drop off in travel. Each organization was struggling with our own pandemic driven challenges. But, together, we found a new path forward. Several weeks later, Roof Above was under contract to purchase the hotel – first to temporarily use it to serve the community’s emergency shelter need and then to transform the hotel to a permanent supportive housing community. The new apartment community - SECU The Rise on Clanton – welcomed our first tenants last week. 

In 2014, the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) required that communities implement a Coordinated Entry system. The goal of an effective Coordinated Entry system is to allocate available resources effectively and with transparency. Most importantly, it takes the burden off of individuals seeking assistance in the midst of a crisis in that they just need to call one place vs. calling each agency to inquire if there are resources and if they are eligible.

As part of the new monthly series on the state of housing in the community, today’s blog consists of two primary components: a high-level summary of the latest data and trends on housing instability, homelessness, and affordable housing; and a curated list of relevant housing-related news and research from the month prior. Together, these items are intended to keep all stakeholders in the community informed about both the challenges and the solutions related to addressing the problems of housing instability and homelessness.

On behalf of Mecklenburg County and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing and Homelessness Strategy (CMHHS), I am pleased to share the news that we have created an Enduring Structure with the United Way of Central Carolinas (UWCC) as the local non-profit lead agency. We are thrilled that the United Way of Central Carolinas has agreed to step into this role and provide their unique expertise as we create a structure that will codify this work. This is the next step in this community-driven process, as recommended and described by the CMHHS A Home for All Strategic Framework. This update will provide an overview of the Enduring Structure, including what it is and what it will do, and ultimately, what it means for all of Mecklenburg County.