A recent Mecklenburg County survey found that more people are living on the streets now than at any time since 2010. In a story last week, we spoke to some of those people and covered the death of a man who was living on the streets until he was found dead in uptown. Here, WFAE looks at how the county and shelter programs are responding to this complex challenge.
A train passed by First Ward Park in uptown early on a recent early morning. Sitting on a bench under a bunch of trees was Fletcher, with his bag beside him. He was happy with his seat.
“A lot of people will literally get mad if they can’t get this spot,” Fletcher said. "Because it creates a lot of shade and a breeze. But if you're not quick enough, you might have to catch a bench. Not so pleasant.”
WFAE is only using Fletcher’s last name because of his situation. The 54-year-old slept the previous night on that bench. To get around, he uses a cane.
“I’ve got a disability,” Fletcher said. "I had two hip replacement surgeries, so that’s prevented me from working.”
Fletcher says he used to work in construction, but now struggles to afford rent.
“It’s almost like it’s the new era now,” Fletcher said. "If you can’t make rent, and a lot of people can’t make rent, a lot of people are living on the streets, living in their cars.”
That’s what the county’s Point-in-Time Count survey found this year. A total of 444 people are living outside — making it the highest count since 2010, and higher than last year by 60 more people.
Fletcher, who sat on the bench wearing his hat and sunglasses to protect himself from the sun, said not everyone wants to stay in a shelter. Personally, he said he’s uncomfortable sleeping and showering at the shelter alongside transgender people.
“That’s a big conflict in them shelters. It causes chaos, it causes problems, divisions,” Fletcher said. "Hey, if you want the truth? I’m giving you the truth.”
About half the people living outdoors in the county’s survey answered questions on identity. Of those 207 people, 17 identified as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Fletcher says there are other reasons, too, why some prefer sleeping outdoors rather than in a shelter, such as young people targeting older people to try to steal items such as wallets and watches while they sleep.
As for what Fletcher wants to see done with county funds intended to support those on the streets, he said: “Open up facilities so we can see with our own eyes. They talk a good game, but they never deliver,” Fletcher said. "They never built or remodeled warehouses so people can sleep in them, and make them into living facilities.”
Since the 2022 fiscal year, Mecklenburg County has allocated close to $150 million toward addressing homelessness and providing affordable housing. That includes funding for shelter programs, legal services to stop evictions, rental assistance and more. Some of the funds come from the city, while $65 million comes from federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
In 2022, the county purchased a hotel with federal funds for nearly $15 million. After renovations, Forest Point Place in Charlotte offers housing for people 55 or older experiencing homelessness and who have chronic health conditions. The hotel can now hold more than 90 people. Roof Above serves as the property manager and provides case management and substance use intervention support to residents.
“I can understand and validate the feelings that I think we are spending this much, and I can drive down the streets and see people living outside, and that is sad and awful,” said Karen Pelletier, the county’s director of the Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services Division. "And it is also a product of higher rents, low wages, and just the complexity of all these other system failures.”
By system failures, she pointed toward people falling through the ‘cracks’ of education programs, the mental health system and the criminal justice system. Pelletier also said a priority for the county is to free up space in shelters.
“We spend the majority of our budget, if you look at our housing and homelessness budget, most of it is on housing because it’s about how are we're moving people out of homelessness,” Pelletier said.
The county, city and United Way of Greater Charlotte have also teamed up on an initiative called ‘A Home for All.' They plan to buy a hotel and convert it to a non-congregate shelter.
“That would serve people who may have severe and persistent mental health illnesses, active addiction, and may not, due to those circumstances, feel safe coming into a large congregate setting,” Pelletier said.
Pelletier says they hope to serve at least 60 people. In a shelter building near uptown on North Tryon Street, Kaedon Grinnell shouted "Lady on the floor" to let the men at the Roof Above men's shelter know he was approaching in a group that included a woman.
Grinnell is the chief program officer with Roof Above. At the shelter on North Tryon Street, he said they have 264 beds. Right now, Grinnell says it can take two weeks or more for someone to get a shelter bed due to a lack of availability.
He also says, what some people might see as a group of people living on the streets differs from those people’s actual experience.
“One of the things we see when we see a group of people come together is a community,” Grinnell said. "So, asking folks to leave that community to come into shelter can sometimes be a challenging thing to do.”
Roof Above’s ability to support people and get people off the streets may face an additional challenge going forward. In a statement last week, Liz Clasen-Kelly, the group CEO, said they would be closing their substance use treatment program at the end of the month. The decision is tied to financial and operational challenges, but the group’s transitional housing tied to the program will remain, Clasen-Kelly said.
As for safety measures for their shelters, Grinnell said they have staff walk the shelter halls on an hourly basis. There are also cameras and lockers for belongings. Individuals are also screened as they come and leave the building to ensure no drugs or weapons enter.
As to his thoughts on shelters that cater to specific groups such as those suffering from mental health illnesses or those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, he said: “I think there’s opportunity for specialized shelter; funding has to meet that opportunity in order for us to get there,” Grinnel said.
He added.
“I just think it’s a much more vibrant and potentially effective shelter model, but it’s a costly shelter model,” Grinnell said. "It’s an expensive shelter model to have multiple locations, but I believe the benefits outweigh the cost, in my opinion. I think we would see more positive outcomes.”
As for short-term solutions, Grinnell points to the need for more shelters. Long term, he says, more affordable housing is ultimately needed, with buy-in and broad community support from all sectors to address what is a complex challenge for all.
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