Duke Energy Foundation donates $500,000 for supportive housing in Mecklenburg
Even before the COVID-19 fallout brought on job losses, missed rent payments and looming evictions, Mecklenburg County’s chronically homeless population has been ticking up for months.
But the national economic crisis, as well as the challenge to keep people healthy in a homeless services system that typically offers shelter and meals in large groups, puts the need in sharper focus.
“I think homelessness, while always cruel, in the midst of this pandemic the cruelty is highlighted at an even higher level,” said Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above, the new name for the merged Men’s Shelter of Charlotte and Urban Ministry Center.
“We see homelessness as harmful not just for the people experiencing it but for the whole community,” she said.
The Duke Energy Foundation on Tuesday announced a $500,000 donation to Roof Above to reduce chronic homelessness. The money will fund supportive housing for people who have been homeless at least one year and have disabling conditions such as physical or mental illness or substance use disorders that make housing and employment more challenging.
Rising numbers, big investment
Mecklenburg County records show the number of chronically homeless people increased from 427 in November to 545 in April, the most recent data available.
It’s a small percentage of the county’s approximately 3,200 people who are homeless, according to county data, but about half of the resources are used for people experiencing chronic homelessness, Clasen-Kelly said.
That’s in part because of the complexity of their needs, as well as the additional medical and criminal justice costs associated with prolonged periods of unhoused living, sometimes outdoors.
“When they’re fighting for survival, people might call 911 more, they go to the ER more. They might be arrested for trespassing or public urination,” she said. “There’s all sorts of ways that long term homelessness bumps up against our crisis system.”
Roof Above’s “housing first” strategy is modeled in Moore Place, which opened in 2012 as the first permanent supportive housing apartment complex in Charlotte where 120 residents are not only housed but offered case management, medical care and life skills services. Roof Above also has supportive housing in more than 200 scattered site apartment units around the city.
The Duke Energy donation will be used for similar efforts. Clasen-Kelly said details about additional supportive housing are expected later this year.
Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, Stephen DeMay, acknowledged the region’s increasing affordable housing crisis and said the company wants “to be part of solutions to help create equal access opportunities for our local community.”
A UNC Charlotte study found residents of Moore Place saw a $2.4 million reduction in health care costs during the first two years living there, including fewer hospital visits and shorter stays.
Residents also had fewer interactions with the criminal justice system, including arrests and jail time.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 2:42 PM.
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