CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They were once homeless, but they're now living in cities across the country, including in the Charlotte area -- and the largest city in the nation helped move them here. Records show New York City relocated more than 12,000 people in just the last two years.
"It's troubling," Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham said. "There's a difference between getting rid of a problem and dumping people or really being thoughtful and sensitive and trying to help them."
New York City's Special One-Time Assistance program helps homeless New Yorkers secure permanent homes in New York and beyond. SOTA's spent almost $90 million since 2017 on a year's worth of rent for more than 5,000 families.
The New York Post reports the city also paid travel expenses, helping families move to cities all across the country, including Charlotte, Concord and Salisbury.
New York City's Department of Social Services said the city "remains committed to using every tool at its disposal to help families and individuals find stability in the ways that work for them, including through relocation and rehousing programs that date back decades."
Officials added the idea that homeless people are being sent or dumped anywhere insults the agency, their dignity, and their humanity.
Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt said this is not a new phenomenon.
"I know it has happened," she said. "I am a Room in The Inn team leader and we have had people who have said that they were transported to Charlotte by area towns."
Cotham said it's not unusual for governments to try and help homeless families move when the facts show it's a good idea, but she just has too many questions in this case.
"We certainly have relocated people," she said. "It's not an easy fix. We really need to learn more about this."
Charlotte already has too many homeless families. The latest numbers show there are more than 3,100 people in Mecklenburg County struggling with homelessness.