CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte announced plans on Tuesday to continue its support of Charlotte’s homeless community by allocating $5.6 million to several organizations that provide shelter and housing support.
The city said the funds will be allocated from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the City of Charlotte has allocated more than $60 million for housing and homeless support.
At the Charlotte City Council’s strategy session on Monday, the city announced $2.1 million from the Emergency Solutions Grant would be used to fund a partnership between the United Way of Central Carolinas, the housing assistance nonprofit Socialserve and Catholic Charities to secure housing for 75 previously unsheltered households that had been at the North End encampment.
“Homelessness is a critical and difficult issue for our entire community and one that has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said. “Being able to provide support and resources for these residents by working with our partners is a further demonstration of our commitment to our community and our residents.”
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The funds will provide rental subsidies for one -year, housing navigation services, employment and workforce development assistance, child care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and connections to financial benefits such as social security, Veterans Administration, Medicaid and Medicare.
"We are pleased to partner with the City of Charlotte in support of ongoing efforts to find a more permanent housing solution for our displaced community members," said United Way of Central Carolinas President and CEO Laura Yates Clark.
An additional $700,000 in Emergency Solutions Grant funding will be allocated to the Salvation Army Center of Hope to lease a hotel from June 2021 through December 2021. The lease will serve as a bridge until the Salvation Army can complete a planned purchase of the hotel in January 2022. This will expand local shelter capacity by up to 100 families or 400 people per night. It will help keep families with minor children intact and bring together homeless families currently scattered at hotels throughout Charlotte due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This facility will also free up room in the center’s existing Spratt Street location to house residents of former North Tryon encampment where necessary.
“The Salvation Army looks forward to partnering with the City to address issues surrounding families in homelessness,” said Salvation Army Major Wilma Mason.
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$2.8 million will also be made available through the city’s CARES Act Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Of those funds, $2.5 million would be allocated for the Salvation Army Center of Hope’s planned hotel acquisition in early 2022. The city will also allocate $300,000 to Socialserve’s HousingCLT program for staffing and increased service capacity. HousingCLT staff will facilitate relationships between service and housing providers and tenants, and with this funding, connect approximately 300 homeless individuals with housing.
The Charlotte City Council will vote to allocate the CDBG funds at the April 12 City Council business meeting.