Research and News Roundup:
May 2025
Photo by Luke Tanis on Unsplash
Mary Ann Priester
Senior Management Analyst
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
The Research and News Roundup is a monthly blog series that features a curated list of recent news and research related to housing instability, homelessness, and affordable housing. Together, these topics provide insights about the full housing continuum and provide community stakeholders with information about emergent research, promising practices, and innovative solutions related to housing and homelessness.
This month’s Research and News Roundup highlights the use of predictive analytics to prevent homelessness, the benefits of guaranteed income programs, and the role of code enforcement in ensuring safe, equitable, and affordable housing.
HOUSING INSTABILITY
The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Oakland, California
In April 2025, the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) and UpTogether released The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Oakland, California. The report examines the impact of an Oakland, California guaranteed income pilot program. The initiative, which was launched in 2021, provided $500 per month for 18+ months to 600 low-income households. The report evaluates the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers in enhancing employment, education, housing stability, and mental health outcomes of program participants. Compared to a control group that did not receive the income payments, the study found that program participants had higher rates of increased full-time employment, lower likelihood of homelessness, and reduced stress levels. It is important to note that post-program, faced with financial uncertainty, stress levels increased for program participants.
HOMELESSNESS
A recent California Policy Lab report, The Homelessness Prevention Unit: A Proactive Approach to Preventing Homelessness in Los Angeles County, assesses the impact of using predictive analytics and targeted interventions to reduce homelessness. The program uses predictive modeling to identify individuals who are at high risk of experiencing homelessness. The model, developed by California Policy Lab, integrates data from social service, health, and criminal justice systems to predict an individual’s likelihood of experiencing housing instability. Post-identification, a dedicated Homelessness Prevention Unit provides client-centered interventions such as case management, system navigation, and financial assistance with the goal of preventing homelessness. This approach leverages cross-sector data sharing and collaboration to stabilize people in their housing and decrease risk for homelessness.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Code Enforcement as a Tool for Safe, Equitable & Affordable Housing
The report, Code Enforcement as a Tool for Safe, Equitable & Affordable Housing, investigates how code enforcement practices impact housing affordability, housing stability, and housing equity in rental housing in Chicago and five other mid-sized cities in Illinois. The report found that due to the subjective discretion afforded to code enforcement officers, regulations are inconsistently applied resulting in disparate impacts and potential for increased housing instability. The report also found that code enforcement often focused on the exterior condition of a property while being less likely to address code violations related to internal health and safety issues in housing units. This approach prioritizes property values over internal housing issues that may have a direct impact on the health and safety of tenants. Finally, the report found that low-income neighborhoods, where people of color reside, were more likely to be the target of code enforcement. The report provides several recommendations to address these issues including the implementation of supportive code enforcement that integrates social workers and the adoption of rental licensing programs to improve housing conditions by ensuring landlords comply with housing regulations.
SO WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Together these three reports offer valuable insights that Mecklenburg County can use to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring and that every resident has access to safe, decent, affordable housing. Predictive prevention models can provide upstream support before individuals become homeless. Guaranteed income programs enhance housing stability, employment outcomes, and well-being. Shifting how housing regulations are enforced can ensure safer housing conditions and protect tenants’ rights. Integrating these strategies into local policies and practices has the potential to reduce disparities and decrease homelessness and housing stability in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
