Who are the homeless?

Over 5,000 people in the Charlotte - Mecklenburg area are homeless. That total includes people who are living on the streets, staying in shelters and with friends and family, or living in transitional or permanent supportive housing. Nearly half are families; more than a third are children. "Street homelessness" is the image commonly presented to portray homelessness, yet less than 10 percent of the 5,000 homeless people in our region regularly live on the streets. Almost half of all homeless adults are employed.

Why are there homeless?

A primary cause of homelessness in the Charlotte - Mecklenburg area is the shortage in the supply of affordable homes. A worker earning minimum wage no longer has sufficient income to afford a safe and decent apartment. And with regional fair market rents averaging more than $650 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, many working families are struggling to find homes within financial reach.

Challenging life situations also cause people to become homeless. People get evicted from their homes because they cannot afford steep rent hikes. People lose their jobs and wind up on the streets. Single mothers show up at shelters with their children because they cannot afford to work and pay for child care. Other people end up homeless because they are too sick to work or were forced to flee an abusive home. Some people who ran away as teenagers cannot afford to live on their own. While everyone's story is different, all homeless people have one thing in common: They have no permanent place to call home.

Is there a solution?

Yes, ending homelessness is possible. One of the keys to ending homelessness is increasing the supply of permanent, affordable homes for people with low- to extremely low-income levels. In addition to stable housing, such prevention and supportive services as employment training, substance abuse recovery programs, and mental health assistance are often needed to help families get back on track.

In the Charlotte - Mecklenburg area, efforts to eliminate homelessness are under way as we expand upon the Out of the Shadows study and begin to develop and implement a 10-year plan to prevent and end homelessness.