Collaborating
The Homeless Initiative, which is based on the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, thrives due to the collaboration, partnerships, and dedication of individuals and groups in the City of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Encouraging
Each day, creative people with experience and compassion work to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The Homeless Initiative works to foster successes and honors the people that have made it possible for our community to help lead the charge of Ending Homelessness in this nation.
Convening
The Homeless Initiative creates a platform for people to come together to evaluate and implement best practices for supporting people who are seeking stable housing.
Demonstrating Results
Programs and projects emerging from the collaborative process of the Homeless Initiative are evaluated so that measurable successes can motivate new partners.
Current Programs & Projects
Information about projects that directly affect people experiencing homelessness are listed below. Each program or project has a unique blend of agencies, faith groups, businesses, and government support.
Bus Passes
Due to a clearly identified need for access to transportation among individuals at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness, the Homeless Coalition and the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee, the City, and community members have teamed up to make bus passes more accessible to people experiencing homelessness. On February 8, 2011 Asheville City Council reduced the price of bus tickets and passes by 50% and a community-based project will work to raise funds to further reduce the cost of tickets and passes.
Lead agencies, selected by the Homeless Coalition, that work with homelessness and already purchased tickets at full price can access the discounted tickets and passes. Individuals working with the lead agencies can receive tickets or passes, depending on their case plan, and will use the tickets/passes to get to work, find housing, get to important appointments, and other daily activities.
To further reduce costs, a community initiative called Bus Pass It On has emerged. Bus Pass It On offers creative and fun ways for people to raise money for bus passes to further reduce the cost to agencies working with people who need help getting employment, education, and most importantly, housing. For more information, visit their Facebook Page or email Bus Pass It On at BusPassItOn@gmail.com.
If you are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness and need assistance with transportation, contact one of the following lead agencies for more information:
If you are an agency serving the homeless population, and want to learn more about this project, Contact the Homeless Initiative.
CIT – Crisis Intervention Training
CIT educates officers who come into contact with people with severe mental illnesses on how to recognize the symptoms of those illnesses and respond effectively to people experiencing psychiatric crises. The program is designed to improve the safety of officers and mental health consumers and redirect consumers from the judicial system to the health care system.
For more information, contact Rich Munger, 250-5264.
Crisis Stabilization Unit
The crisis stabilization unit is co-located with the Neil Dobbins Detox Center at 277 Biltmore Avenue. The unit is intended as an alternative to sending psychiatric patients to Broughton State Hospital—for persons it is felt can be stabilized in 1-3 days.
For more information, contact Rich Munger, 250-5264.
Buncombe County Human Services Wet Shelter
The wet shelter, also called “social detox,” is a referral option for law enforcement and the Mission Emergency Department (ED) for someone who is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and with no home/place to go and safely recover. It is intended for short-term use, typically one night, though there may be a need to keep some clients longer until their thinking processes improve.
At the wet shelter, staff will supervise the client and monitor his/her medical condition. In addition to a bed, food will be available and staff will attempt to engage the client in community substance abuse services.
The legal authority for law enforcement to intervene with persons who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drug is GS 122C-301.
All law enforcement referrals must be taken to Neil Dobbins Detox Center at 277 Biltmore Avenue for medical clearance. The screening takes about 10 minutes. If the client is not medically stable, the client should be transported to the Mission (St Joseph campus) ED. If the client is medically cleared, law enforcement may transport the client to the wet shelter.
Wet Shelter Locations:
- Men: Western Carolina Rescue Ministries – 254-0471 225 Patton Avenue
- Women: ABCCM – 259-5365, 141 Hillside Street
- For more information, contact Rich Munger, 250-5264.
HST Housing Support Teams: Mental Health Initiative Pilot
The City of Asheville and Buncombe County were one of three communities to receive funding from the State of North Carolina which allows housing support teams to work with people who are seeking housing. Funding for this three year grant came from the State Mental Health Trust Fund and was the first funding specifically for homelessness.
Western Highlands is the agency that contracts with the state to carry out the pilot program. Western Highlands is working locally with Homeward Bound, which carries out the day to day project activities.
So far, over 100 people have been housed through the grant.
Outcomes research to evaluate the effectiveness of the program is headed up by the Jordan Institute of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Social Work.
To learn more, contact:
- Martha Are, NC Interagency Council on Coordinating Homeless Programs:(919) 733-4534
- Laurie Tollman, Western Highlands: 828-225-2785 x 2861
- Brian Alexander, Homeward Bound: 828-258-1695 ext 3
Homeless Mental Health Initiative Summary
SOAR – Social Security Outreach and Recovery
SOAR is a nation wide best practice supported in North Carolina by the NC Interagency Coordinating Council on Homelessness and the NC Coalition to End Homelessness.
SOAR is both a method and a program. The SOAR method teaches people who work directly with individuals with disabilities how to understand and complete the Social Security Disability application forms so that applications are approved the first time around and within months instead of years.
Asheville’s SOAR program started July 2008. The program is a result of a cross-systems partnership between the City, County, Western Highlands, Homeward Bound, and Pisgah Legal Services. Other partners, like Mission Hospitals, have helped with the program planning process and are waiting for results before moving to the next phase of involvement.
How SOAR works:
- The lead agency for the SOAR program works with clients, caseworkers, and clinicians to ensure that people are able to access SOAR workers, providing information, training, technical support, and follow-up. Asheville's lead agency for SOAR is Pisgah Legal Services.
- A client with a disability interacts with a SOAR-trained caseworker.
- The SOAR-trained caseworker builds a relationship with the client. Together, the caseworker and client review the client’s records.
- Missing records and necessary supporting data are collected by working with doctors, psychiatrists, family members, and others who can report on how the person’s disability inhibits their ability to work.
- The SOAR worker, who has a good relationship with the Social Security Office, helps the client send in a final application for approval.
- The client is approved and is able to afford medical treatment, rent, and other things necessary for a stable, consistent life.
Research: SOAR Promising Practices
What is SOAR? More details about the program
Spare Change for Real Change: Positive Alternatives to Dealing with Panhandling
The Asheville Downtown Association supports the Spare Change for Real Change program, which was initially part of the recommendations from the Social Issues Task Force, a group created by City Council in 2003 to study social problems downtown and to propose ways in which public and private organizations could address and solve some of these issues that negatively impact downtown and all its constituencies.
Spare Change for Real Change discourages panhandling on city streets by encouraging support of agencies that offer real help to people in need. The program maintains donation boxes throughout downtown Asheville, creating the opportunity to redirect the generosity of visitors and locals to organizations working to end homelessness. The contributions collected through the boxes are then matched by sponsoring businesses, and that money is awarded in grants to local agencies. 2009’s grant recipients were Homeward Bound, Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, and Salvation Army.
What’s so bad about panhandling? Giving money to panhandlers often only enables them to stay on the streets. In most cases, petty cash raised by panhandling is used to feed addiction, not hunger. Panhandling was made illegal in Asheville by City Ordinance 3023, so while responding to a panhandling request may seem helpful, it may actually result in court dates for someone who already faces a multitude of challenges.
How should you respond when panhandlers ask you for money?
Remember that they’re people just like you, and treat them with the courtesy and respect we all want and deserve. Street life is hard, and offering kindness can help restore dignity and hope.
Respectfully say no to their requests. Remember that doing so isn’t cold-hearted; you don’t want to support the harmful choices they may make with your money.
Be informed. If panhandlers ask for change to get something to eat, tell them when and where the next free meal is being served in Asheville.
Offer a Spare Change for Real Change Real Help Guide instead of money, and encourage them to connect with the service providers listed to get real help. Real Help Guides can be found at the Asheville Downtown Association office, located at 29 Haywood Street.
City Ordinance, Section 11-5. Public Solicitation and Begging Regulated.
Contact Information
Homeless Initiative
Planning & Development Department
Community Development Division
Location: Asheville City Hall, 70 Court Plaza
Mailing: PO Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Email: homelessinitiative@gmail.com
Phone: 828-515-1668