Charlotte saw two major winter storms in recent weeks, bringing snow and subzero temperatures. Those frigid conditions pushed local shelters far beyond their normal capacity.
Roof Above hosted 986 people during the storms. The group’s three men’s shelters typically host about 550 people. Roof Above Vice President of Shelters Stephanie Wallace says the storms provided an opportunity to connect with those in need of support.
“Being able to engage people who haven’t been in the shelter and talk to them about next steps on housing,” Wallace said.
Fifty cots were donated to Roof Above to help accommodate those living outdoors. The shelter program also turned dining areas into makeshift accommodations. Wallace says the overflow in shelters shows how essential dialogue is to solving homelessness.
“Seeing these numbers is going to help us talk to people in the community and engage them on what we can do as a county, as a city, and how can we build more options because there is a need and people need somewhere to go, and they deserve safe, affordable housing,” Wallace said.
A Mecklenburg County study found last year that at least 444 people were living outdoors.
