Wake County launches initiative to move homeless from streets to a home

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WNCN) — Wake County officials see over a thousand homeless people every night staying in shelters or in homeless encampments.

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“It’s an unfortunate amount. I think that’s why we are at such a critical point in our work and kind of mission in the continuum of care,” Eileen Rosa said.

Rosa is the director of the Wake County Continuum of Care and is working to get unhoused people a more permanent safe home.

“Nobody should have to choose to stay outside, or have to have that reality,” Rosa said.

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Introducing Wake at Home, a mission to resolve the number of emcampments.

Phase One is a $22 million dollar investment.

“[It] covers rental assistance for over 400 households as well as flexible financial assistance for about a thousand households,” Rosa said.

It also funds supporting services like healthcare.

The goal is to help those find existing affordable housing.

“Things like for single individuals, $1,200 or less a month, and then it really just goes up from there within the market,” Rosa said.

Phase One of the initiative will last through December 2027.

Phase Two will begin immediately after and will consist of the county digging deeper into how they can prevent the homelessness in Wake County.

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