Mary Ann Priester, PhD, MSW
Senior Management Analyst
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Housing, Innovation, and Stabilization Services
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.
LATEST DATA & TRENDS
As of August 31, 2025, there are 2,586 individuals experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This total includes 1,641 single individuals, 179 unaccompanied youth, 227 households with minor children (totaling 702 people), and 39 families with multiple adults (totaling 70 people). Included in the total of 2,586 individuals, 143 are homeless Veterans, and 731 are individuals who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Based on these data, the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness right now (and therefore, the minimum number of housing units and/or subsidies needed) in Charlotte-Mecklenburg is 2,586.
Considering inflow (into homelessness) and outflow (out of homelessness), here are some noteworthy trends:
- Between July 2025 and August 2025, there was a 178 person increase in the total number of people experiencing homelessness. There has been a 18% (or 583 person) decrease in overall homelessness since August 2024.
- In August 2025, 632 individuals entered homelessness (inflow) and 426 people exited (outflow). Of the 623 individuals entering homelessness, 68% (426) were newly identified, 11% (67) returned to homelessness from permanent housing, and 22% (139) returned from an inactive status. Of the 426 individuals exiting homelessness, 23% (97) moved to permanent housing and 77 % (329) exited homelessness to an inactive status, which means that they had not been engaged in services for the previous 30 days.
- Between July 2025 and August 2025, overall homelessness increased for all populations. Finally, the median number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing decreased 37 days from 185 days to 148 days and the average number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing decreased from 509 days to 501 days. The median tells us the typical number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing while the average includes long-stayers in shelter and people experiencing chronic homelessness
- According to the most recent One Number data, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, individuals who identify as Black/African American continue to experience homelessness at rates much higher than their proportion of the Mecklenburg County population (76% vs. 33%) while individuals who identify as White, non-Hispanic experience homelessness at a rate much lower than their prevalence in the population (15% vs 45%). Individuals who identify as Hispanic/Latino only have a prevalence of 3% in the homeless population but comprise 14% of the Mecklenburg County population; this reflects a possible underrepresentation of the people who experience homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and identify as Hispanic/Latino.
SO, WHAT
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg increased to 2,586 people in August 2025. This increase was largely driven by more families with minor children and unaccompanied youth entering the homeless services system. Despite this short-term increase, overall homelessness is down significantly from August 2024 and the median length of time it takes to exit homelessness has decreased, illustrating that progress can be made when resources are aligned. Scaling homelessness prevention efforts and investing in additional affordable and supportive housing resources, particularly for unaccompanied youth and families with minor children, are key to sustaining progress to prevent and end homelessness in Mecklenburg County.
