Understanding Homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Exploring the Sheltered Homeless Census and One Number Data

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Each year Continuums of Care (CoCs) across the United States conduct the HUD Point-in-Time (PIT) count, a nationwide effort focused on gathering data on homelessness. The primary goals of the PIT count are to estimate the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness and gain insights into their demographics and living conditions to inform policies and programs addressing homelessness.

The PIT count consists of two main components: the Sheltered Homeless Census and the Unsheltered Homeless Census. The Sheltered Homeless Census focuses on quantifying the number of individuals residing in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing on the night of the count. The Unsheltered Homeless Census aims to enumerate individuals who are experiencing homelessness and are living in places not intended for habitation, such as on the streets, in vehicles, or other unsheltered locations. Both components are necessary in order to capture individuals who access shelter services and those who do not.

The annual PIT Count is an important data source that can be used by communities to assess homelessness trends and inform policy and funding decisions but it has a number of limitations and is widely acknowledged as not capturing the full extent of homelessness in the United States. For this reason CoCs supplement PIT data with other data sources to gain a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness. Locally, One Number data, which is updated monthly, is a key data source that is utilized to better understand the current state of homelessness in Mecklenburg County.

A previous blog post provided in an in-depth description of the limitations of the PIT count and data from the 2023 Unsheltered Homeless Census. This blog focuses on the 2023 Sheltered Homeless Census and the community’s One Number.

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Housing First Training Strengthens Community’s Response to Homelessness and Improves Outcomes

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The Housing First model is widely recognized as an effective and compassionate approach to addressing homelessness. It is an evidence-based model that has been shown to be successful in helping individuals achieve housing stability, improve their overall well-being, and reduce public costs associated with emergency services and institutional care. By recognizing housing as a fundamental right and addressing homelessness as a housing issue first, Housing First aims to create a solid foundation for individuals to achieve long-term stability.

In early April, the Mecklenburg County Community Support Services Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services team, in collaboration with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care, organized a two-day Housing First training led by Pathways to Housing PA. The training brought together over 100 local homeless services providers to develop a deeper understanding of the Housing First model and served as the kickoff event for a 12-week community training from Housing First University.

This blog provides an overview of the Housing First model, the training being provided by Housing First University, and the expected impact for people experiencing homelessness and the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.

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Bridging the Gap: Addressing Unsheltered Homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg

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The annual HUD Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a comprehensive effort conducted across the United States to gather data on homelessness. It consists of two components: the Sheltered Homeless Census which quantifies the number of individuals who were in an emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing on the night of the PIT and the Unsheltered Homeless Census.

A future blog post will present data from the 2023 Sheltered Homeless Census.

This blog focuses on the 2023 Unsheltered Homeless Census, the state of unsheltered homelessness locally and nationally, strategic outreach, and the work underway to address unsheltered homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

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Three Takeaways From New Report on Homelessness and Incarceration in Charlotte-Mecklenburg

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Today, May 4th, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services released the Homelessness Among the Incarcerated Population Integrated Data Report, authored by the Charlotte Urban Institute. This report examines the rate of and risk factors for homelessness among those experiencing incarceration in Mecklenburg County detention centers. This report is part of the Housing Instability & Homelessness Integrated Data Report Series.

This year’s Integrated Data Report looks different from prior years. The report is shorter and focused on the findings, but links readers to a methodology brief where they can learn more about how the study was conducted. This new format is intended to make the findings and implications of the study more accessible to the public. This blog post outlines the key findings from the report and what it means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

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Reintroducing the Building Bridges Blog

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Welcome back to the Building Bridges blog. During the past few months amidst submitting the 2022 HUD System Performance Measures, publishing the 2022 State of Housing Instability & Homelessness Report, and conducting the 2023 Point-In-Count, we have spent time reevaluating how this blog can best serve the community. The mission of the blog remains the same: highlight the important work being done in Charlotte-Mecklenburg in relation to housing instability, homelessness, and affordable housing; and connect local, regional, and national data, research, policy, and practice so that all stakeholders in the community can use it to drive advocacy, policymaking, funding allocation, and programmatic change.

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2022 State of Housing Instability & Homelessness Report Released Today

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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.

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2023 Point-In-Time Count

The Point-in-Time Count will take place on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. This is the one night each year when our community comes together to survey each person experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness throughout Mecklenburg County.

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Introducing the Homelessness Prevention Integrated Data Report

Today’s blog provides an introduction to the Homelessness Prevention Integrated Data Report. UNCC Urban Institute researchers examined the relationship between the provision of rental assistance, a type of targeted homeless prevention assistance, and later experiences of homelessness.

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State of Housing: September 2022

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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.

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The Obstacle Is the Way

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. 

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