Burke County accepts 2025 community health assessment; homelessness, substance use and mental health top priorities

Burke County commissioners voted Nov. 17 to accept the county’s 2025 Community Health Assessment (CHA), which identifies affordable housing and homelessness, substance use disorder and mental health as the county’s top public‑health priorities.

Public health educator Miranda Smith described the CHA process: primary data collection by survey (492 resident responses between April and June 2024), secondary data from state and federal sources and three focus groups that included a culturally diverse group, people experiencing homelessness and a faith‑based focus group. Smith said the survey sample met the county’s representation needs for the Western North Carolina region despite the relatively modest response total.

Key findings cited by Smith include: a point‑in‑time count of 258 people experiencing homelessness; 73 students lacking stable housing; 33.7 percent of survey respondents said they worry about paying rent or mortgage (up from 18 percent in 2021); 55.2 percent said substance use has negatively impacted their lives; adult drinking rates reported at 46.2 percent; and 17 percent of respondents reported seven or more poor mental‑health days in a month (with an average of 5.5 poor mental‑health days reported countywide).

Smith explained next steps: the county and partners will prepare a 2026 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to align existing initiatives, pursue grant opportunities and track the effectiveness of interventions; a 2027 State of County Health report will follow to update progress.

Commissioners thanked Smith and accepted the CHA report as presented with a motion from Commissioner Trout.