Roof Above

With the chance of snow and extreme cold weather conditions, shelter programs are mobilizing again to serve those who might be most impacted.

Charlotte’s shelter program saw an increase in demand over the weekend due to the winter storm. That's expected to continue with frigid temperatures expected in Charlotte Monday night.

On Thursday, volunteers fanned out across Mecklenburg County in the cold, predawn hours to count the number of people sleeping outdoors in places such as cars, sidewalks and tents. For the second year in a row, a tragedy: They found a person dead in an encampment near Interstate 77. To explain how the count unfolded and what it means, WFAE's Nick de la Canal spoke with reporter Elvis Menayese, who tagged along with the volunteers.

For the second year in a row, volunteers found a person dead Thursday during Mecklenburg County's annual count to assess the state of homelessness.

Gov. Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency as the region braces for a major winter weather event. Also raising concern, the flu has been more deadly than last year, with 67 deaths so far in South Carolina and 181 deaths in North Carolina. Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, a person was found dead during a count to assess homelessness.

Mecklenburg County’s annual Point-in-Time Count is Wednesday night. The volunteer-driven event assesses the number of people sleeping outdoors in places such as bus stops and tents. Ahead of the count, Roof Above’s Liz Clasen-Kelly, who oversees the organization’s local shelter programs, shared her thoughts on what to expect.

444. That’s the number of homeless people living on the streets in the Charlotte area — the highest since 2010. The reasons people fall into homelessness are as numerous as the debates over how to address it. We examine the different strategies to quell this problem and what has and hasn’t worked.

A recent Mecklenburg County survey found that more people are living on the streets now than at any time since 2010. In part one of WFAE’s series, we spoke to those people and covered the death of a man who was living on the streets until he was found dead in uptown. In part two, WFAE looks at how the county and shelter programs are responding to this complex challenge.

A Mecklenburg County report this year found more people sleeping outside now than any year since 2010. In part one of a two-part series, WFAE's Elvis Menayese explores why homelessness remains a pressing issue and why some people sleep on the streets instead of going into shelters.

The Charlotte Symphony and another local group are bringing music to people who typically don’t get the opportunity to see live performances in a concert hall. Their goal: to use the art form as a way to help people navigate hardships.