What we do

The Community and Economic Development department fosters an equitable community and economy. We work to preserve and increase the availability of affordable housing, improve access to services, create paths toward economic mobility, promote resiliency, and support sustainable growth. We collaborate with community partners, other government agencies, businesses, and residents to enhance the quality of life and availability of opportunities for all in Asheville.

The department includes four divisions, Affordable Housing, Community Development, Homeless Strategy, and Economic Development; and three programs, Business Inclusion Office, City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA), and City Real Estate Office.

The department’s success is measured through the lens of the City’s comprehensive plan and vision, focusing on creating a resilient and thriving local economy, fostering an equitable and diverse community, preserving and developing quality affordable housing, and engaging in responsible regionalism.


Contact: Megan Greer, Business Services Administrator.



 
Attention: HOME ARP Public comment period closed Monday, March 20, 2023 for more information please vist our Public Notices webpage here

 

Related Services

Business Inclusion (ABI)

The Business Inclusion Office for the City of Asheville actively seeks to identify minority and women-owned businesses for an opportunity to participate as providers of goods and services to the city.

Find cold weather emergency shelter

When extreme cold weather is expected, the Asheville Homeless Coalition issues a Code Purple Alert. Participating homeless shelters voluntarily add space beyond their normal capacity to keep as many people as possible out of the cold.

Related Projects

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HOME-ARP Program Funding

The City of Asheville has prepared the Allocation Plan for the HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Program. The HOME-ARP Allocation Plan sets out how the City of Asheville and the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium propose to use an estimated $4,699,862 in federal HOME-ARP Program funds.

Disparity Study 2023

The City of Asheville’s Community and Economic Development Department has commissioned Miller³ Consulting, Inc. to conduct a five year comprehensive Disparity Study of its contractual awards in goods, professional and general services, and construction.

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Understanding Unsheltered Homelessness

Early in 2022, the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Dogwood Health Trust formed a collaborative to respond to the increased need, and Dogwood Health Trust offered to fund a consultancy to bring national expertise to the local community to better understand and address the crisis of unsheltered homelessness.  The City is serving as the contracting point of contact for this collaborative, and published a Request for Proposals in February 2022 on behalf of the group.

Community and Economic Development News

The 2023 City of Asheville Disparity Study supports extending its race- and gender-conscious contracting policy

The City of Asheville has released a Disparity Study report detailing its contracting and purchasing activities and practices for the past 5 years. A Disparity Study is a type of research study that is designed to assess whether there are disparities, or differences, in the participation rates and opportunities for various groups in a particular program or industry.  The goal of a disparity study is to identify any barriers or obstacles that may be preventing certain groups from participating fully, and to develop strategies to promote greater diversity and inclusion.