The estimated number of people experiencing homelessness in the Triangle is up 15%, to 1,788 people, according to annual point-in-time counts collected by organizations in Wake, Durham and Orange counties.

• The increase was driven primarily by Wake County, where the number of unhoused people increased by 27%.

Why it matters: It's the third straight year that homelessness has increased in the Triangle, mirroring a similar rise seen across the nation.

Driving the news: Every January, organizations across the country conduct point-in-time counts to capture a snapshot of the unhoused community during one day. It's required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of applications for grants and funding.

• The point-in-time counts typically underestimate the true number, according to experts, given that people experiencing homelessness can be hard to track.
• Eileen Rosa, lead agency director for Wake County's Continuum of Care, said she believes this year's count is more accurate due to changes in methodology, including more volunteers and a new surveying app.

Zoom in: Rosa told Axios earlier this year that many factors cause a rise in homelessness.

• But rising rents and a dearth of affordable housing choices are two of the biggest drivers.
• In addition, she said, eviction moratoriums during the pandemic and some federal aid have ended.

By the numbers: In Wake County, 287 of those counted were living unsheltered (compared with 971 in shelters) — more than double last year's rate.

• Durham County saw a 12% increase in those unsheltered, and Orange saw a 45% increase.

What's next: Even as the Trump administration makes sweeping changes to how the country responds to homelessness, the Triangle's cities are launching new programs to address the issue.

• Last year, the city of Raleigh launched a new pilot program called Bringing Neighbors Home, which provides direct housing assistance and helps individuals with a case manager to access other services.
• In March, the city used the program to connect 45 households to housing and close one encampment near Dix park.

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It's getting harder to find an apartment priced under $1,000 a month in North Carolina.

By the numbers: Over the past decade, units renting for under $1,000 a month (adjusted for inflation) fell by around 30% across the country, per a report by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, Axios' Sami Sparber writes.

• Meanwhile, a building boom focused on upscale apartments helped nearly triple the number of units costing at least $2,000 a month.

Between the lines: Many of those cheaper apartments are older, and a slowdown in construction after the Great Recession has led to an overall shortage of housing for the state's rising population.

• In Raleigh alone, there is a shortage of 37,000 housing units, Mayor Janet Cowell said earlier this year.

State of play: Homebuying is out of reach for many. More people are renting, which has kept rents high even as hikes ease.

• Add to that high prices for land, building materials and labor. "To be profitable, most of these [new] units must command steep rents," researchers wrote in the report.

Reality check: The surge in high-end apartments can still benefit lower-income renters, the researchers noted.

• For one, areas with lots of new construction over the past few years, particularly in the South and West, saw rent increases slow or outright decline. Rents in the Triangle have stabilized after skyrocketing during the early years of the pandemic.
• And when higher earners move up, older, cheaper units may become available.

🌀 Individuals in central North Carolina counties whose property was damaged by Tropical Storm Chantal can now seek state-funded financial grants. (Associated Press)

🏥 A plan to reopen a rural hospital in Martin County would require ECU Health and the county to find more than $200 million in funding. (Triangle Business Journal 🔒)

🥟 Raleigh is losing another restaurant after MOFU Shoppe announced it would close in downtown Raleigh after eight years serving dumplings and other dishes. (WRAL)

Raleigh's Village District shopping center will be the testing grounds for a national retailer's new standalone brand.

Why it matters: The upscale women's clothing retailer Anthropologie said this week it will launch the first storefront for its in-house brand Maeve in the Village District in October.

• Anthropologie already has a large presence in the Triangle, with locations in North Hills and the Streets at Southpoint.

Zoom in: Maeve will open in the former Coastal Urge space next to the Barnes and Noble bookshop on Daniels Street.

• The retailer said Maeve will still be available online and in Anthropologie stores, but this will be its only standalone location as of now.

People who grew up in parts of the Upper Midwest and the Northeast tend to have higher credit scores in early middle-age than their Southern counterparts, newly released data shows.

Why it matters: Credit scores can determine people's access to loans, housing, better interest rates and more — despite their flaws and biases, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.

Driving the news: The data for the above map comes from The Opportunity Atlas — a joint project from the U.S. Census Bureau and Opportunity Insights at Harvard University — and is based on anonymized info from a major credit bureau.

Zoom in: In North Carolina, those who were born in Watauga, Orange and Wake counties had higher credit scores in middle age.

• While those in Edgecombe, Robeson and Scotland counties, three of the state's poorest counties, tended to have the lowest.

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