The coronavirus pandemic has put the spotlight on Charlotte's housing and homelessness problems.
Despite adding shelter space and increasing efforts to provide permanent housing, an average of 3,000 people in Mecklenburg County are still experiencing homelessness every night.
The most visible sign of the problem was the "Tent City" near uptown Charlotte that appeared as the pandemic worsened last year. The county eventually moved more than 200 of those residents into temporary housing at hotels, and that program has been extended through the end of September.
But local officials are still working on permanent solutions, and there's a new effort by government and private organizations to develop a five-year plan to address housing and homelessness in Mecklenburg County.
Guests:
Courtney Lacaria, housing and homelessness research coordinator for Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
Karen Pelletier, division director of Housing Strategy, Innovation and Alignment for Mecklenburg County
James Lee, peer counselor at the Stan Greenspon Center and former homeless Charlotte resident
Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above
