New program brings mental health care to Mecklenburg’s homeless population

Mental health treatment is on the way for people living on the street in Mecklenburg County.

“Wellness Without Walls” is a new street psychiatry program connecting psychiatrists and registered nurses with those in the county’s homeless population who may be in need of mental health services.

Through a collaboration between Atrium Health, Alliance Health, Roof Above and Hearts for the Invisible, groups of street outreach workers and medical professionals will seek out unhoused adults, 18 years old and older, either with a diagnosed or undiagnosed disorder.

The $303,000 program received its funding from SteelFab, Duke Energy, The Merancas Foundation and Molina Healthcare.

The program stems from the county’s “A Home For All” initiative, which seeks to eliminate homelessness and help people remain in stable housing. The initiative, spearheaded by United Way of Greater Charlotte, began conceptually in 2022 but started rolling out programs last year.

Providing mental health treatment to the county’s homeless residents, especially those on the street, has been a top need in the county, according to Kathryn Firmin-Sellers. She’s president and CEO of United Way of Greater Charlotte.

It’s one of the first conversations Firmin-Sellers said she had when “A Home for All” was in its infant stage.

The issue of homelessness and mental health are also at the forefront of community conversations after the death of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed on the light rail in August. DeCarlos Brown Jr., who is charged with Zarutska’s death, was homeless and experienced mental health struggles, according to his mother. The case has attracted national attention.

The data backs up the need for mental health treatment among the county’s unhoused population.

Of the over 440 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the county, about 40% reported having a serious mental illness, according to data collected from January’s Point-in-Time, or PIT, count. The count is an annual nationwide event where volunteers survey and count individuals experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness every January.

“This program is important because it’s bringing the services to the unsheltered population,” said Breanna McGowan, the outreach clinical director with Hearts for the Invisible. “To be able to have a psychiatrist and a nurse … provide those direct services like medication management, psychiatric evaluations and follow-up visits is vital.

“This kind of outreach is exactly the kind of proactive care that helps prevent crises … and opens the door to so many other possibilities.”

Mecklenburg County’s rising homeless population

Homelessness is on the rise in Mecklenburg, both sheltered and unsheltered.

Here are the numbers from county statistics:

• Between June 2022 and June 2024, the homeless population rose by almost 15%, increasing from 2,428 people to 2,784.
• As of Aug. 31, that number sits at 2,586 people.
• January’s PIT count showed 444 people were experiencing unsheltered homelessness. That’s a 16% increase from last year and the highest number of people living outdoors since 2010.
• Of that group, six were minors. Again, that’s the highest number of children living outside since 2008.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools identified 5,680 students experiencing homelessness during the 2024-25 school year. That’s an 18% increase from the previous year.

Housing issues are some of the broader reasons for the county’s increase in homelessness. There’s the rise in housing costs, the lack of affordable housing and the numerous barriers stopping someone from entering housing, such as evictions, low wages and mental health needs.

And that’s where the “A Home for All” initiative is seeking to step in. It focuses on several pillars addressing the problems of increasing homelessness.

Last October, United Way partnered with Housing Collaborative to connect people to housing and recruit property managers to aid in the effort.

In July, the Contractor Assistance Program was launched, which provides funding to train and qualify existing or emerging contractors interested in helping those in need of critical home repair.

The initiative also began a pilot rental assistance program over the summer for households at risk of eviction or instability.

Now, the focus is on mental health.

What is “Wellness Without Walls?”

There are numerous barriers for the unhoused population seeking treatment, according to Malia Suhren, the director of unsheltered housing navigation with Roof Above.

Transportation issues, a lack of communication methods and an overall mistrust or fear of health providers could stop anyone from seeking treatment, Suhren said. To combat those issues, the goal of “Wellness Without Walls” is to meet people where they are.

“(The program) is giving psychiatric care in a way that we’ve never been able to before,” Suhren said. “It’s really important that the doctors are able to come do these walk and talk assessments, do the follow-up appointments, answer questions about psychoeducation and medication management, and really provide that upfront care that makes it so much more accessible.”

Two days a week, a psychiatrist and nurse with Atrium Health will go into the community with street outreach teams from Roof Above and Hearts for the Invisible.

It’s a voluntary process, but the medical professionals will be able to provide on-the-spot assessments and needs. As Suhren said, the needs look like medication management, evaluations and, eventually, follow-up appointments.

Having psychiatrists partner with outreach teams enhances trust, Suhren said. The outreach teams may already know some of the homeless community members or they have the tools to connect with the population.

The program launched last month and the community has been receptive, Suhren and McGowan agreed.

“We’ve already seen a few folks consent to the program and start that process,” Suhren said. “We have seen a lot of our neighbors ask really great questions. And even if they are not conducting an assessment right away, they’re really open. We try and make sure they know that it’s always something that they can come back to if they wish.”

Gauging success of the homeless program

The immediate goals of “Wellness Without Walls” is to reach 20 patients a month in the first year and decrease emergency room visits.

The long-term goal is to help people transition to clinical care and continue to have access to mental health treatments.

The ultimate goal is for folks to enter into stable housing.

There are steps to ensuring that the stable housing goal is reached, Suhren said. That’s also the point of the different pillars in “A Home for All,” Firmin-Sellers added.

There are different needs when it comes to ensuring a person has stable housing, including mental health treatment.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about this work is that people don’t want help or people don’t care … I’ve never met a group of people more than our unsheltered neighbors who care so deeply,” Suhren said. With better mental health care, it makes it easier for them to follow through all the way to see that permanent housing exit. And keep it.

“If they are coming from a place of stability, then it sets them up for success in that housing retention piece.”