MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — In Mecklenburg County, the number of homeless people on the streets and in shelters has increased.
A lack of affordable housing is contributing to the rise.
Now, Mecklenburg County and other organizations are seeking solutions to combat homelessness.
“Unsheltered homelessness is not centralized to Uptown; we may see it more and feel it more there but it is truly throughout our county," Karen Pelletier, director of Mecklenburg County's Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services Division, said.
Pelletier said helping the people living on the street can be complicated and it takes many tools, but they're working on solutions right now.
With the help of the American Rescue Plan Act, in southwest Charlotte, the county turned a motel into apartments. On June 29, over two dozen people ages 55 or older who have experienced long-term homelessness moved into their new homes.
“We had individuals that had been living in a hotel that the county opened during COVID," Pelletier said. "We knew there was nowhere else for them to go, so the county allocated just over $13 million to purchase and renovate a hotel.”
Mecklenburg County also recently funded a street outreach program with a group called Hearts for the Invisible, to connect homeless people to resources they so desperately need.
“Reduce those barriers and have those warm handoffs for people, because people living outside have far more complicated mental and health concerns and are so far disconnected," Pelletier said.
Building on that momentum, there's a new plan in place for long-term solutions to attack housing instability in the community. It's called A Home For All, providing the framework to end homelessness.
“How are we helping prevent people from entering our system, serving them while they’re in our system, and then how are we helping them move to housing,” Pelletier.
Private and public entities are working to create systemic change through several different initiates including:
- System navigation
- Critical home repair
- Upstream emergency rental assistance
- Property provider recruitment and retention
- Legal advocacy (Eviction representation)
“We need to focus on more than one thing at a time in order to really make change in our community," Pelletier said.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This story is part of ‘I Can’t Afford to Live Here,’ a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. WCNC Charlotte is committed to reporting on the issues facing the communities we serve, including affordability. We tell the stories of people working to solve persistent social problems. We examine how problems can be solved or addressed to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference. WCNC Charlotte is seeking solutions for you by providing the following assistance programs in Charlotte:
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