After nine months of work, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg plan to make homelessness rare and brief has three starting points: people, prevention and more housing.
The United Way of Greater Charlotte on Tuesday released a plan to jump-start the countywide initiative titled “A Home For All.” The United Way, which was picked to lead the effort, calls itself the plan’s quarterback, but its success will rely on support from government officials and private individuals alike, the agency’s leaders say. Hundreds of people contributed to the plan from across Mecklenburg County.
There are about 3,162 homeless people in the county, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing and Homelessness dashboard. Of those, most are single individuals rather than people in families; 164 are unaccompanied youth.
The plan’s key tasks include providing navigators, some of whom have experienced homelessness, to help people cruise through a web of programs; rental and home repair money for those in need; spawning more government and private money; and boosting the housing supply.
United Way President and CEO Laura Yates Clark said Charlotte is lucky to be a growing city, but that comes with challenges. And homelessness is hitting closer to home than ever for people, Clark said. The plan’s creation and a commitment to move it forward “demonstrate the power and potential of strong public-private partnerships,” she said.
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