2,404 Neighbors in Need: Mecklenburg County Releases Housing and Homelessness Report
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services has released the 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness (SoHIH) Report.
The annual report combines local, regional, and national data, serving as the foundation from which Charlotte-Mecklenburg can make informed decisions on the allocation of resources and development of systems of care. The report consists of three main sections:
- Homelessness: Individuals in shelters and those who are unsheltered
- Housing Instability: Individuals living doubled up or in substandard housing, and those who are housing cost-burdened
- Stably Housed: Individuals in permanent and affordable housing
The 2025 report presents data on the demand side of the housing continuum, from housing instability to homelessness, and the supply side, which includes all types of permanent, affordable housing. The report covers aspects such as cost-burden, evictions, Point-in-Time Count, housing inventory, rental gaps, Housing Trust Fund, and system performance metrics. New data this year includes information on local housing vouchers, government financial investments, critical home repair, innovative interventions from across the region, and emerging practices.
What We Know:
- Low-cost rental housing is disappearing. More than 77% of the low-cost housing stock available in 2015 was lost by 2024. That is the result of several factors, including redevelopment, a focus on construction of high-end housing, rising construction costs, and rental price increases. There is a 32,601-unit gap in rental units affordable for extremely low-income households who are at or below 30% of the area median income.
- Number of cost-burdened renters continues to increase. A lack of affordable housing and a growing rent-to-income gap contribute to the number of rental households in Mecklenburg County that are housing cost burdened. Half of all renters are cost-burdened, which is most of those renters earning less than $75,000.
- Homelessness continues to impact thousands of Mecklenburg County residents each year. The annual number of people who stayed in emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing increased 6% from FY2024 to FY2024. 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%.
- High rent and not enough affordable housing make existing racial and economic inequalities worse. These problems hit minority families and low-income households the hardest. In Mecklenburg County, most renters who struggle to afford housing are Black and/or Latino. Black residents make up 29% of the county’s total population, but they account for 74% of the people experiencing homelessness.
Why it Matters
The 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness Report provides a single, dedicated compilation of the latest data on housing instability and homelessness pertaining to Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This resource is available to anyone who is working to address housing instability and homelessness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and beyond, including providers, elected officials, funders, media, anyone involved in advocacy, and more.
Addressing housing instability and homelessness typically requires a multifaceted approach that combines affordable housing initiatives, support services, mental health and addiction treatment, and employment opportunities, along with efforts to reduce discrimination and enhance tenant protections. The community continues its mission and work through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care. Plus, A Home for All is transitioning to a partnership between Mecklenburg County and Foundation For The Carolinas, from United Way of Greater Charlotte, in the effort to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
The 2025 State of Housing Instability and Homelessness Report and corresponding material can be found on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing and Homelessness Dashboard. It is compiled and released by Mecklenburg County Community Support Services’ division of Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services.
How to Help
Residents can help in several ways, including getting involved with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care.
They can also donate to Mecklenburg County’s partners in addressing homelessness: