Unsheltered Homeless Count Now Canceled in 11 Counties

The unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) Count will not be conducted in Rutherford County or 10 other North Carolina counties in 2026, following a decision by the NC Balance of State Continuum of Care (BoS CoC) that was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

The cancellation affects Burke, Cabarrus, Catawba, Davie, Davidson, Iredell, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Union, and Yadkin counties. WCAB first broke the story about Rutherford County and Partners Health Management, the county's LME/MCO. Volunteers from the United Way of Rutherford County and other groups will not be deployed unless the county independently conducts its own count outside the Continuum of Care. With a new interim county manager, it is unlikely, sources said.

In a Feb. 2 email to local partners, the BoS CoC cited safety concerns due to current conditions and stated that HUD approved canceling the unsheltered count for this year. HUD rules require annual counts of people in shelters and unsheltered counts at least every other year.

The state Continuum of Care will still submit sheltered homelessness data and the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) for 2026. Officials expect sheltered numbers to rise due to expanded cold weather shelters, but people living outdoors, in vehicles, or other places not meant for habitation will not be counted in this year’s federal data.

Local sources told WCAB News that people who experience homelessness in Rutherford County throughout the year, but are not in shelters on the designated count night, are unlikely to be reflected in funding decisions tied to the 2026 data.