The Law
New laws and court rulings that affect life outside, in plain words.
Everyone deserves to know where the next meal, the next bed, and the next helping hand are. This paper exists to put that information in your pocket, wherever you are.
The steps back to an address of your own — one at a time, in plain words.
If getting back on your feet is not possible yet, here is how to stay clean, healthy, and safe — and keep your head up.
Every Charlotte Mecklenburg Library location — 20 of them — has free computers and free Wi-Fi, printers and scanners, job help, and staff whose job is answering questions. A library card is free for Mecklenburg County residents. No fixed address? Ask at the desk what they accept — they help people in your spot every day.
This is a standing goodie — here every week until a dated freebie beats it. We only post goodies we have checked. Checked October 19, 2026. Find a branch at cmlibrary.org.
New laws and court rulings that affect life outside, in plain words.
Free and cheap in Charlotte: meals, showers, laundry, and free days.
Where to sleep and eat in Charlotte — checked, dated, and honest.
Want to help, or need a hand? Safe ways to connect, through people who do this daily.
Cans and scrap, day labor, keeping your documents safe.
Consumer-report style tests of cheap gear that survives out here.
Free and low-cost clinics, ER rights, and meds without insurance.
Police, sweeps, panhandling, the ER, and voting without an address.
CATS buses and the Blue Line: fares, half fares, and how to ride.
Every number that matters, in big type. Bookmark it.
One number connects you to food, shelter, and services almost anywhere in America. Here's how it works and what to ask for.
Documents, warmth, hygiene, power. A practical packing list from people who've lived it.
Lost your ID? You're not locked out forever. Step-by-step for birth certificates, state IDs, and Social Security cards.
The Dispatch is the weekly issue of this paper, delivered by email: new laws, changed kitchens, the goodie of the week. One useful email a week. No spam, no judgment, unsubscribe anytime.