Initiative announces homeless population drops 36 percent since 2010

Alfred Gorman, left, jokes with Liz Clasen-Kelly, associate executive director of the Urban Ministry Center, during a press conference on April 1, 2015, at Moore Place. Gorman was found during the chronic homeless registry initiative and has been housed since the registry was completed two months ago. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

The Housing First Charlotte-Mecklenburg initiative announced Wednesday that the number of chronically homeless people in the county has decreased 36 percent since 2010.

A registry initiative, held over a three-day period in late January, involved more than 250 volunteers searching on streets and in camps, shelters, jails, soup kitchens, hospitals and other areas throughout Mecklenburg. Volunteers found 516 chronically homeless individuals.

Since the registry was created, 37 chronically homeless individuals have been housed. Partnerships for Housing First Charlotte-Mecklenburg includes more than two dozen organizations, including the City of Charlotte. Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Initiative announces homeless population drops 36 percent since 2010."

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