CASE STUDY: CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG COUNTY REDUCTION IN VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

Abstract

Charlotte, NC and Mecklenburg County have worked to end veteran homelessness and driven remarkable progress despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 2019, the community of 1.11 million has reduced veteran homelessness by 20%. Now, their goal is to reduce it by 30% by the end of 2021.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s homeless response system demonstrated it can drive these population-level reductions by facing head-on many key challenges, which included:

– Covid-19 pandemic
– Lack of affordable housing
– Lack of landlords willing to accept rental subsidies from people experiencing homelessness, including veterans
– Lack of flexible funding sources to ensure smooth transitions of veterans into housing
– Inequities that result in the over-representation of Black persons in the homeless population

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg team navigated these challenges and advanced their journey toward functional zero by leveraging their strengths of teamwork, humour, and trust, along with strong relationships within the county.