A new report released by Mecklenburg County highlights the rising number of people experiencing homelessness.
The annual Point-In-Time Count pins down the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county on a single night.
This year’s count reveals 444 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and living in places such as tents, bus stops and cars. That’s 60 more people compared to last year’s count. Of those 444 people, 116 were newly identified.
Roof Above operates four shelter programs during the winter months.
“We had 110 additional people on overflow beds that evening [in January], so I did anticipate our unsheltered numbers would be lower,” said Roof Above CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly. "When we see the significant increase in unsheltered homelessness, despite how cold the temperatures were, despite having no turnaway shelters, it’s deeply concerning.”
Clasen-Kelly is one of over 200 volunteers who participated in the count. During the count in January, Clasen-Kelly was one of the volunteers who discovered 52-year-old Abdul Wright lying dead on a sidewalk in uptown.
This year's count also revealed that the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness was the highest recorded in the count since 2010.
The count also identified 1,657 people in shelters, slightly fewer compared to last year's number of 1,711. Part of that is tied to there being fewer shelter beds available. Of those in the shelter, 308 were people under 18.
“We are definitely feeling on the frontlines an increased demand, as well as our increased limitlessness, in terms of what we are able to offer people,” Clasen-Kelly said.
As of April 30, 2025, 2,415 men, women and children were experiencing homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
