Homelessness nationwide rose by about 18% last year, according to federal data released last week, with officials citing the migrant crisis in major cities and the end of pandemic aid as key reasons why.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual count found the number of people experiencing homelessness in North Carolina increased by about 19%.
The report cited housing affordability as a reason, but also noted local agencies improved their counting methods, which likely resulted in a more comprehensive count than in years past.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg area saw an increase of about 9%, but other parts of the state saw drastic changes.
The Winston-Salem and Forsyth County area reported an increase of about 58% — the highest of any of the reporting agencies in the state.
The Chapel Hill and Orange County area saw an increase of about 17%. The Durham and Raleigh areas each reported increases of about 8%.
The data reflect an estimate based on mandatory nationwide counts of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024. The 2025 count is set to take place next month.
Some local agencies also take more comprehensive measures of homelessness in addition to participating in the annual count. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care, for instance, uses a more comprehensive measure that estimates there are more than 3,200 people experiencing homelessness in the region as of October — more than 1,000 more than were captured in the 2024 count reported to the federal government.
