Mary Ann Priester
Senior Management Analyst
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Almost five years ago, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services introduced the “One Number”. Since its inception in 2019, the “One Number” has served as the primary benchmark for the number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Generated from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the One Number encompasses individuals enrolled in Emergency Shelter (ES), Transitional Housing (TH), Street Outreach (SO), Permanent Housing (PH) (if no move-in date to housing is recorded yet) and Coordinated Entry (CE) programs in HMIS. It includes both those experiencing sheltered homelessness and a portion of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness. It also provides a comprehensive By-Name List of persons experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
One Number data not only provides an overall count of homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, but also can be broken down by household and population type and disaggregated by demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, and age. In addition, One Number data also facilitates the examination of inflow and outflow patterns associated with homelessness. The Housing Data Snapshot, the hub for the latest data related to housing and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, 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; latest trends and analysis; and what this means for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
LATEST DATA & TRENDS
As of March 31, 2024, there are 2,853 individuals experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This total includes 1,767 single individuals, 118 unaccompanied youth, 277 households with minor children (totaling 900 people), and 26 families with multiple adults (totaling 57 people). Included in the total of 2,853 individuals, 198 are homeless Veterans, and 708 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 2,853.
Considering inflow (into homelessness) and outflow (out of homelessness), here are some noteworthy trends:
- Between February and March 2024, there was a 182 person decrease in the total number of people experiencing homelessness. It is important to note that this decrease could be due in part to data cleanup related to preparation of 2024 Point-in-Time Count data for submission to HUD in May. Despite the slight decrease observed last month, there has been a 17% (or 420 person) increase in overall homelessness since July 2023. As context, during this period there have been significant investments in expanding street outreach and coordinated entry capacity. It is possible that the rise in homelessness is due to, at least in part, enhanced capacity to connect with people experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
- In March 2024, 691 individuals entered homelessness (inflow) and 684 people exited (outflow). Of the 691 individuals entering homelessness, 74% (514) were newly identified, whereas 8% (58) represented returns to homelessness from permanent housing and 17% (119) returned from an inactive status. Of the 684 individuals exiting homelessness, 29% (200) moved to permanent housing and 71% (484) exited homelessness to an inactive status, which means that they had not been engaged in services for the previous 30 days.
- Between February 2024 and March 2024, homelessness decreased among all household types and subpopulations with the exception of multiple adult households: the number of families with minor children decreased by 12 households; the number of families with multiple adults increased by 6 households; the number of single individuals decreased by 78; and unaccompanied youth decreased by 9. In addition, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness decreased by 17; and people experiencing chronic homelessness decreased by 5 individuals. Finally, the median number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing increased from 294 days to 314 days and the average number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing decreased from 692 days to 649 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 (73% 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 47%). Individuals who identify as Hispanic/Latino have a prevalence of 4% 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 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. When disaggregated by household type and subpopulation type, these data can be used to inform person-centered interventions and system level strategies to address homelessness effectively in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
