Mary Ann Priester
Senior Management Analyst
Mecklenburg County Community Support 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.
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 each person experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
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.
LATEST DATA & TRENDS
As of September 30, 2024, there are 3,311 individuals experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This total includes 1,845 single individuals, 167 unaccompanied youth, 362 households with minor children (totaling 1,221 people), and 39 families with multiple adults (totaling 70 people). Included in the total of 3,311 individuals, 162 are homeless Veterans, and 776 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 3,311.
Considering inflow (into homelessness) and outflow (out of homelessness), here are some noteworthy trends:
- Between August and September 2024, there was a 142 person increase in the total number of people experiencing homelessness. There has been a 22% (or 604 person) increase in overall homelessness since September 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 September 2024, 849 individuals entered homelessness (inflow) and 693 people exited (outflow). Of the 849 individuals entering homelessness, 72% (609) were newly identified, 10% (88) returned to homelessness from permanent housing and 18% (152) returned from an inactive status. Of the 693 individuals exiting homelessness, 38% (266) moved to permanent housing and 62% (427) exited homelessness to an inactive status, which means that they had not been engaged in services for the previous 30 days.
- Between August 2024 and September 2024, homelessness increased among all household types and subpopulations except multiple adult households and veterans. The number of persons in multiple adult households decreased by 18 and the number of veterans experiencing homelessness also decreased by 18. The number of families with minor children increased by 16 households; the number of single individuals increased by 30; and unaccompanied youth increased by 21. The number of people experiencing chronic homelessness increased by 23 individuals. Finally, the median number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing increased from 129 days to 411 days and the average number of days it takes to exit homelessness into housing increased from 609 days to 794 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 (14% vs 45%). Individuals who identify as Hispanic/Latino only 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. These data also provide timely insights into the number of people flowing into and out of the homeless services system by illuminating resource needs and opportunities for system improvement. During the month of September there was an increase in the overall number of people experiencing homelessness with the greatest increases among unaccompanied youth and persons in families with minor children. In September, we did see a 20% decrease in the number of people flowing into the homeless services system, but we also saw a 17% decrease in the number of people flowing out of the homeless services system. We continue to see inflow exceed outflow which is why the overall count of people experiencing homelessness is rising. In addition to flexible prevention funding, additional permanent housing resources, particularly for families with minor children and single adults on fixed incomes are needed to increase outflow and decrease the overall number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
