Blog

Oct 21, 2024

Charlotte Family Living In Tent Off Highway I-77 In Need Of Warm Clothes As Temperatures Drop - WCCB Charlotte's CW

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are 3,169 people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte, 1,145 of those people have kids with them. Temperature will drop into the low 40’s overnight. One of those families

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are 3,169 people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte, 1,145 of those people have kids with them. Temperature will drop into the low 40’s overnight. One of those families with kids talked with WCCB Charlotte’s Zane Cina about how they’re surviving.

If you drive down I-77 in Charlotte, you may have seen two tents along the Clanton road exit. Those tents house a family of six. Ed Adams is a father of four. Adams and his wife once owned a trucking company but didn’t like all the driving. Adams worked jobs here and there, but nothing stuck, leading the family to move into a van. Adams says after threes of trying to make ends meet, the family van broke down. Adams says he turned to camping, and his family stayed on sidewalks and under bridges.

Tired of the constant moving, Adams found a spot on Clanton Road right next to the I-77 Highway entrance. He set up his two tents, and the family has been sleeping there for nearly a month now. Adams says the camp site is a short walk away from a library, YMCA, and a laundromat.

“We chose this spot was because of the walking distance with the library and the YMCA, and because we could take showers at the YMCA,” Adams said.

Everyday Adams home schools his four children while thousands drive by. Some commuters feel for the family.

“They don’t bother nobody. They’re real good people. The kids are well mannered,” said one driver who did not want to be identified. Another commuter who did not want to be named said, “They’re doing what they can to make it.”

Adams and his wife and kids are part of the 3,169 people who are experiencing homelessness in Charlotte. That number is up 553 people from 2023 according to mecklenburghousingdata.org, a Mecklenburg County organization that tracks those numbers. Adams says CMPD and Social Services have stopped by his campground.

“Said they received phone calls and, you know, they came and just checked on us,” Adams said.

Adams says his family is happy with their current living situation. He does that he and his wife and kids do need blankets and warm clothes as temperatures drop. WCCB has asked Charlotte Mecklenburg Police for more information about their involvement with the Adams family. CMPD has not yet responded.