The Housing First Charlotte-Mecklenburg Partnership

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2019

The Housing First Charlotte-Mecklenburg Partnership launched in April 2017 as a collaboration to help end chronic homelessness in Charlotte.HFCM Partnership began as a pitch for a single-site 120-unit apartment building for the chronically homeless. When plans for the building unexpectedly stalled, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners – by special action vote – authorized Community Support Services to hire six staff to work in partnership with Urban Ministry Center, a local homeless services non-profit, to develop a scattered-site housing program.The clinical supervisor and team of five clinicians immediately began engaging clients in services. Within two years, during a serious affordable housing crisis in Charlotte, program staff housed 81 individuals by taking a data-driven approach. Creation of a small housing placement team reduced the number of days clients spent searching for apartments, offered financial incentives to engage landlords who were reticent to partner and expedited move-ins following housing inspections.The team provided intensive clinical services to help clients stay housed. Ninety-five percent of clients either remained in housing or had another successful outcome. The program is now adding staff to keep caseloads small while expanding to a capacity of 120.