More people are experiencing homelessness this year, PIT Count shows
The Point-in-Time Count for Mecklenburg County shows more people are experiencing homelessness this year than they were last year, but efforts to solve the problem are also ramping up.
The results of the count show there are over 2,400 people experiencing homelessness in Mecklenburg County. Of those, 444 are unsheltered. That is a 16% increase from last year and the highest unsheltered count since 2010.
Channel 9's Eli Brand spoke to Jessica Lefkowitz, the executive director for Hearts for the Invisible Charlotte Coalition, about what these numbers mean for the community.
The organization helped lead the count for the last two years. She says the actual unhoused count is likely higher than the numbers show because it was taken during the winter.
'It's something I think we should all think about with this year's point in time count is that it was like 17 or 18 degrees,' Lefkowitz said. 'So, we definitely didn't capture the real, true number because there might have been people in a hotel for the night instead of outside in that extreme weather.'
Earlier this month, Mecklenburg County Council passed their budget for 2026.
ALSO READ >> Mecklenburg County to vote on new budget
It included around $27 million for nonprofits and mental health services.
Even with the added funds, Lefkowitz said many nonprofits are still concerned since money they depend on from the American Rescue Plan Act is set to expire.
'We have businesses that are obviously impacted by the unhoused,' she said. 'If they could put some investment into this work, I think we could also help them.'
Over the last two years, Heart for the Invisible said they have been able to get 214 people into permanent housing.
VIDEO: 'Nowhere to go': Owner asks for community's help after her restaurant catches fire, closes
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