Roof Above

It’s been nearly three months since Charlotte reinstated criminal penalties for many quality-of-life infractions. Some uptown residents complained that dropping them emboldened people without homes to openly defecate and drink alcohol in parks. The hope was the threat of arrest would reduce those behaviors. The fear was that it would criminalize poverty and lead to many arrests.

Charlotte City Council is set to vote Monday on reinstating criminal penalties for things that include sleeping or lying on a city park bench, public urination and possessing an open alcohol container in public spaces. Although the ordinances are not aimed specifically at the homeless population, many shelters fear the group will be most impacted.

Temperatures are expected to plunge into the teens this weekend. For those who have no place to go to stay warm, shelters in Charlotte are extending hours and expanding capacity.

"We don't want anyone to freeze out in this weather, and that has happened in the past," said Melinda Wilshire of Roof Above men's shelter and day services center.

Homelessness rose to record levels in Mecklenburg County during the pandemic. The rise was driven in part by an increase in families entering homelessness and the city's lack of affordable housing.

Roof Above has purchased an 88-unit hotel in southwest Charlotte that will serve as an emergency shelter for women and families this winter and transition to permanent supportive housing after renovations next summer.

Mecklenburg County and social service agencies are trying to make sure they're ready to house the region's growing number of homeless residents when cold weather arrives this winter. They face extra challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some programs canceled and shelters operating at reduced capacity. But thanks to changes during the pandemic, there may actually be more beds this year.

Roof Above says its Room in the Inn seasonal housing program for homeless residents will not operate this winter because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the agency says it is taking steps to increase capacity as cold weather arrives.

Charlotte homeless services organization Roof Above is getting into the apartment business with the purchase of a 341-unit complex in east Charlotte. The…

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say despite health concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, they have an obligation to help property owners remove homeless…