The number of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte and America is growing at an incredible rate. Our local government is under great pressure to find a solution to this community problem, as it should be. Currently, 2,400 people live permanently on the streets (Homeless Research Institute). Charlotte officials need to come up with innovative and creative plans to solve this problem. It’s not enough to get people out of homelessness, we need to stop them from falling into it in the first place. A focus on prevention is essential in trying to end homelessness. These efforts should target people who are at greatest risk of homelessness. There must be programs implemented in high-risk communities that provide those most at risk of becoming homeless with financial assistance to maintain their housing. There must also be a single point of access that can provide information and referrals to at-risk citizens. Opening the Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness is a call to action for the federal government and the nation at large to come together and collaborate on a plan that will organize and distribute the resources needed to address homelessness (USICH). This collaboration will in turn lead to a better understanding of the causes and consequences of homelessness and the most effective ways to prevent it. Improving access to stable, affordable housing is imperative to combating homelessness at the local and national levels. Although there are already housing subsidies such as Section 8 Housing and Urban Development, welfare, state rental assistance, and the HUD Shelter Plus care program in Charlotte (HUD), many of them have prerequisites and requirements that preclude a large...... middle of paper ... to ensure they place their inhibitors in permanent housing rather than leaving them homeless in these shelters use it as a permanent living space. By implementing a Housing First model, people housed in these shelters will be moved to permanent housing more quickly, allowing more homeless people to enter as formerly homeless people leave the country. A significant percentage of the homeless population are those re-entering society from the correctional system. It is often more difficult for them to find work and housing. One in five people released from prison are homeless (National Alliance to End Homelessness). An effective way to address this problem is to implement “reentry housing” in Charlotte. According to the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a single unit of reentry housing can save $20,000 to $24,000 compared to the cost of shelter and re-incarceration...