Photo: Meck County Point in Time

June 9. As of April 30, 2025, there were 2,415 men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, according to Mecklenburg County’s One Number benchmark.

Among the homeless residents are those surveyed during the annual Point in Time Count, conducted Jan. 22. The results, released this month, show that the number of unsheltered homeless in the community has increased.

Unsheltered Homelessness

The unsheltered count during the Point in Time Count focuses on individuals residing in locations not intended for human habitation such as streets, cars, parks, and encampments. More than 200 volunteers and police officers canvassed Mecklenburg County to locate, identify, and engage individuals who were living unsheltered, and gather HUD-required demographic information.

The survey revealed 444 people in 421 households were experiencing unsheltered homelessness on the night of the Point in Time Count, an increase of about 16%. That includes four with minor children, the highest number of unsheltered households with minor children counted to date. Of the 444 people, 116 were newly identified this year. This year is the highest unsheltered count since 2010 and more than double the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness since the 2020 pre-pandemic count.

Sheltered Homelessness

Thirty-three publicly and privately operated emergency shelter, transitional housing, and safe haven programs from 15 agencies participated in the Point-in-Time Count. The survey revealed 1,320 households totaling 1,657 persons were experiencing sheltered homelessness, about 3.2% fewer people than last year. That decrease is attributed to a drop in the number of shelter beds that are available. Of the households identified in the sheltered homeless census, 308 people were children under the age of 18.

What Can I Do?

There is much that individuals can do to help: donate food or clothing, volunteer to help at a shelter or food bank, contribute to one of the many nonprofits that assist the homeless, and support government efforts in strategies to address affordable housing.

Programs

In the new FY2026 budget, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners addressed homelessness and affordable housing by funding a variety of services and programming:

Photo: Meck County Point in Time

• $1.1 million to annualize the operating costs for Forest Point Place permanent supportive housing for seniors.

• $464,000 for housing placement and navigation, and a subsidy increase for Keeping Families Together.

• $14.3 million for more than 20 nonprofit organizations that work to address homelessness and housing, such as Legal Aid of N.C., the Salvation Army, Roof Above, the Relatives, United Way of Greater Charlotte, and others.

• $12.5 million for 16 organizations that address the Board’s mental and behavioral health priorities, such as Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center, Promise Resource Network, Teen Health Connection, Alliance Health, and others.

• $2.6 million for Crisis Assistance Ministry.