Last week, Mecklenburg County released its 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness Report.
There are a lot of numbers to dive into — and, more importantly, the human stories behind the statistics.
The report found that the annual number of people who stayed in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing increased 6% from fiscal year 2024. As of June 2025, there were 2,404 people experiencing homelessness in Mecklenburg County, down 14% from last year. But the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time in 2024 increased 11%.
The report says more than 77% of the low-cost housing stock available in 2015 was lost by 2024.
And there’s even more data to analyze, produced in conjunction with the Charlotte Urban Institute and Mecklenburg County. We look at the work they’ve done to collect a decade's worth of data on homelessness, what it all means, and any solutions that have come from this information.
GUESTS
Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above
Lori Thomas, executive director, Charlotte Urban Institute & Regional Data Trust
Mary Ann Priester, housing and homelessness data and research coordinator for Mecklenburg County
