In coastal North Carolina, a segment of the workforce maintains employment while living without stable housing. This includes individuals living in vehicles, staying in short-term motel arrangements, or cycling through the homes of family members and acquaintances. The condition is often invisible to employers, service providers, and policymakers because those experiencing it frequently maintain the outward appearance of stability.
The Cape Fear Homeless Continuum of Care, which covers the Wilmington region, conducts an annual point-in-time count of individuals experiencing homelessness. The count captures a snapshot of those who are unsheltered or in emergency shelter on a single night. It does not fully capture the population living in vehicles or in doubled-up arrangements, which are classified differently under HUD definitions.
HUD's definition of homelessness for purposes of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act includes individuals living in places not meant for human habitation, such as vehicles. However, access to emergency shelter and transitional housing programs is often limited by capacity constraints and eligibility requirements that can exclude working adults without dependents.
The intersection of employment and housing instability creates particular challenges. Workers who are living in vehicles or transitional arrangements face difficulties maintaining hygiene, storing work clothing and equipment, and arriving at work reliably. These practical barriers can threaten employment even when a worker is motivated and capable.
Public assistance programs available in the region include the Housing Choice Voucher program, emergency rental assistance administered through New Hanover County, and transitional housing programs operated by local nonprofits. Access to these programs requires documentation, stable contact information, and the ability to navigate application processes — requirements that can be difficult to meet when one is living without stable housing.
This report examines the structural conditions that produce working housing instability and the gaps in the public assistance framework that leave this population underserved. It is part of a broader series on housing conditions in coastal North Carolina.