Unhoused person found dead in uptown Charlotte during overnight homelessness survey
An unhoused person was found dead early Thursday in the Fourth Ward during Mecklenburg County’s annual Point in Time Count that tracks the homeless population.
“A team of volunteers attempted to survey and assist one of our homeless neighbors,” said Alex Burnett, a Mecklenburg County spokesperson. “Upon approaching the individual in uptown Charlotte, the team observed that the individual was unresponsive and had likely passed away.”
A cause of death has not been released yet. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the incident is under investigation. An information request to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office from The Charlotte Observer was not immediately answered Thursday.
The person was found by a group led by Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above, a Charlotte nonprofit that combats homelessness and provides shelter resources.
Clasen-Kelly said her group was searching for people experiencing homelessness along North Tryon Street when they came upon the dead male.
“We were looking for people and it was evident that the individual was deceased,” Clasen-Kelly said. “You could tell from some distance.”
The group was part of the county’s PIT count where volunteers survey individuals experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness on one night. The count started at 5 a.m. Thursday when temperatures were in the high teens.
About the Point in Time Count
PIT data is considered the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness, according to Mary Ann Priester, the county’s Housing and Homelessness Data and Research Coordinator and PIT count coordinator. The count isn’t an absolute number because some people may not be around during the count, especially on cold days like Thursday morning.
However, around the two-hour mark, the number stood at around 150 people. That number is preliminary and official numbers won’t be released until May.
Last year, there were 384 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the county, according to the previous count.
Clasen-Kelly said her group spoke with about a dozen people Thursday. She was surprised at the totals, given the temperature and the county’s extreme weather protocols that allow shelters to create overflow space.
“The experience of homelessness is an experience of incredible vulnerability,” Clasen-Kelly said. “It’s not every day that someone dies in homelessness…But you know the reality. Homelessness can be deadly.
“It’s important not to look away because if we allow homelessness to persist, there are real human lives at stake…Everyone will die, but you don’t want anyone to die alone and outside.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
