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Time Out Youth expands housing-first support in Charlotte, aims to help 10 young people this year
Summary
Time Out Youth said its emergency-assistance budget has grown from $20,000 in 2020 to $200,000 in 2026 and that it plans to help up to 10 LGBTQ+ young people with housing this year, the organization's CEO said.
Time Out Youth plans to use expanded emergency-assistance funding to provide housing-first support to LGBTQ+ young people in Charlotte, the nonprofit's chief executive officer, Sarah Mikael, said. The group’s emergency financial assistance budget rose from $20,000 in 2020 to $200,000 in 2026, she said, and the organization hopes to help up to 10 people this year.
The announcement matters because local providers say immediate housing stability can reduce risks for young people facing homelessness. "Knowing that I'm somewhere where I'm wanted, somewhere where I can be supported or even uplifted in general," said Samariana Patterson, who goes by Pat, a program participant who described the center as life changing after experiencing homelessness.
Mikael described Time Out Youth's housing-first approach: place a young person into a unit, then connect them with services and supports. "So we start with a housing first model. You get housed, and then we make sure that you get connected to everything else," she said. Mikael told listeners the organization's emergency financial assistance budget expanded from $20,000 in 2020 to $200,000 in 2026.
Some of that funding came from the city of Charlotte through the city's Emergency Solutions Grant, Mikael said. She described how organizations request funds through the city's housing and neighborhood services, which distributes grants for street outreach, emergency shelter and homelessness prevention.
Pat offered a personal example of the program's impact: after receiving a free year of housing through Time Out Youth, Pat said they no longer worry about rent and have been able to secure a car, a home and a job. "It just gave me uh security, gave me support, gave me a different outlook," Pat said.
Looking ahead, Mikael said Time Out Youth's three- to five-year goal is to have a place available for a young person the day they arrive and to help transition them into permanent housing. The organization did not specify the precise mix of funding sources or partners that will support that expansion.
No formal government action or vote was recorded in the segment; Mikael credited the city's Emergency Solutions Grant for some of the current funding but did not describe new municipal commitments or contract awards. Time Out Youth offered the profile as an account of current operations and client outcomes; officials did not announce a timeline for program scaling beyond the stated 3-to-5-year aspirational goal.
