Skip to content

Partners Brings Unhoused Simulation to Gaston, Highlighting Housing Needs

Data shows 51% of Gaston County renters struggle to afford housing.

Partners Health Management delivered a powerful and immersive Unhoused Simulation experience last week at the Gaston County Public Health Summit. The event brought community leaders, service providers and stakeholders face-to-face with the complex realities of housing instability and the critical social determinants of health currently impacting the region.

Many of the 15 counties in the Partners coverage area have populations struggling to maintain their housing.

The Unhoused Simulation is grounded in sobering data from the North Carolina Housing Coalition, which underscores why housing is a critical driver of overall health and wellness. Here is the data for Gaston County:

Figure 1: Partners Community Engagement Training Manager Amber Matthews  (center) facilitates the Unhoused Simulation at the Gaston County Public Health Summit.

  • Cost-Burdened Families: 31% of households, or 27,883 families, spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
  • Renter Vulnerability: 51% of renters, or 13,337 households, struggle to afford their monthly rent.
  • The Wage Gap: Fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,686/month, requiring an annual income of $67,440. Average salaries for vital workers like childcare providers ($28,840) and firefighters ($37,530) fall significantly short.
  • Impact on Children: Gaston County Schools reports approximately 900 students currently qualify as unhoused.

“These numbers aren’t just statistics—they represent real people and impossible choices,” said Amber Matthews, Partners Community Engagement Training Manager. “The simulation helps participants feel the weight of choices that many face every day. By experiencing these barriers firsthand, our leaders can better engage in discussions about expanding affordable housing and strengthening prevention efforts.”

The simulation, which Matthews developed, challenges participants to navigate limited resources, unexpected crises, and systemic barriers to learn how to help the unhoused. It was Partners’ third Unhoused Simulation. Participants stepped into diverse community roles, including those in social services, homeless shelters, faith organizations and family members to better understand the “vicious cycle” that prevents rehousing.

Partners held its first Unhoused Simulation in Cabarrus County, where 50% of renters, or 11,425 households, are struggling to keep up with their rent payments, and 4,105 families faced eviction filings this year. Cabarrus ranks 11th out of 100 North Carolina counties in evictions among rental households.

A second event was held in Rutherford County, where 47% of renters, or about 2,681 households, are struggling to keep up with payments, and 395 families faced eviction this year. Rutherford ranks 55th among North Carolina’s 100 counties in eviction filings this year. Adding to their struggles, Hurricane Helene heavily impacted Rutherford County when it hit Western North Carolina in 2024, causing catastrophic flooding that destroyed 40 homes and damaged another 1,328.

On May 27, 2026, Partners plans to host a fourth simulation in Iredell County, where 44%, or 8,508 households, are struggling to pay rent. Iredell ranks 16th among North Carolina’s 100 counties in eviction filings this year.

In addition to the Unhoused Simulation, Partners currently offers these experiential learning tools, with a fourth, Mental Health System: Crisis, currently under development:

  • Mental Health System: Created by Matthews to navigate behavioral health response.
  • Poverty: A nationally recognized simulation via Missouri Community Action.

To ground the experience in reality, participants followed the journey of a 39-year-old individual who lost everything following the death of a spouse shortly after the birth of their first child.

The narrative followed their struggle through grief, substance use and eventual incarceration, highlighting two major systemic hurdles:

  • The ID Barrier: Most available jobs require a government-issued ID.
  • The Address Paradox: Obtaining an ID requires a permanent mailing address, which an unhoused person cannot provide.

Some counties are addressing this issue by allowing unhoused individuals to use the Department of Social Services (DSS) office as a permanent mailing address, ensuring they can receive vital documentation to re-enter the workforce.

Organizations or local governments interested in hosting a simulation to spark change in their communities are encouraged to contact at cetraining@partnersbhm.org the Partners Community Engagement team to learn more about scheduling a session.

ABOUT PARTNERS

Partners Health Management is a leading local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO), providing access to care for individuals in central and western North Carolina with the most complex health care needs. Partners manages Medicaid, state and local funding for mental health, substance use disorder, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injury (MH/SUD/IDD/TBI) services in our covered areas. On July 1, 2024, Partners began administering one of North Carolina’s four Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans and managing members’ physical health and pharmacy services in addition to their behavioral health, IDD and TBI services.

Partners is one of four LME/MCOs that are the cornerstone of North Carolina’s public MH/SUD/IDD/TBI managed care system, which is designed to improve quality and timely access to care for individuals and families. Established by the General Assembly in 2011, the LME/MCOs are built on a 50-year legacy of county area programs with deep local, community roots. The LME/MCOs ensure access to high-quality provider networks, strong community collaboration to support a robust system of care, and budget predictability through the efficient and effective use of public funds and resources.