Report identifies affordable housing, healthcare access and mental health as top priorities
Wake County and members of the Live Well Wake initiative have unveiled the top health priorities that will guide community health efforts through 2028, based on findings from the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment.
From May 2024 to May 2025, Live Well Wake partnered with the North Carolina Institute for Public Health and followed a 12-phase model recommended by the North Carolina Division of Public Health. The process focused on gathering input, analyzing data, identifying top health priorities and guiding future actions to improve community well-being.
Based on community input and data analysis, the 2025 report identifies the top three priorities for action over the next three years:
- Affordable Housing and Homelessness: A majority of residents surveyed indicated Wake County is underperforming in addressing the affordable housing crisis. Median housing costs have risen sharply, and more than 1,200 residents are estimated to be homeless on any given day.
- Access to Healthcare: Although many residents rate healthcare access as good or excellent, gaps remain, especially among older adults, Black residents and those living in eastern Wake County. Barriers include cost, language, provider availability and insurance complexity.
- Mental Health: Mental health continues to be a critical concern, with residents calling for expanded services including mobile clinics, crisis response and care for vulnerable groups like people experiencing homelessness.
“These aren’t just public health issues, they’re deeply personal issues that affect the day-to-day lives of our residents,” said Wake County Commissioner and Live Well Wake Co-Chair Vickie Adamson. “This report helps us better understand where we can focus our efforts and invest resources to make the biggest impact.”
The 2025 CHNA reflects the collaborative efforts of Advance Community Health, Delta Dental, Duke Health, NeighborHealth, Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education, RightCare, UNC REX Healthcare, Wake County Government and WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Together, these partners aim to align strategies, share resources and make data-informed decisions that improve health outcomes for everyone in Wake County.
Wake County staff and community stakeholders will now begin crafting action plans and strategies to address each priority. Progress will be tracked and shared publicly on the Live Well Wake website.
About the Community Health Needs Assessment
Every three years, local county health departments are required by NC DHHS to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment to evaluate the health and well-being of their populations. In the years between assessments, counties publish State of the County Health reports to share progress updates and highlight evolving needs.
The full report, as well as an executive summary of 2025 findings, is available at LiveWellWake.org.
