Community Development Last updated or reviewed on October 16, 2026 Welcome to Community Development! The Community Development Division manages and administers programs that are funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for Asheville and a four-county consortium consisting of Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Madison Counties. We administer the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) programs funded by HUD. Most of the funding from these programs is distributed to organizations in Asheville and the four county consortium through competitive application processes. News Pre-Announcement of the availability of HOME Investment Partnerships Program Funds The City of Asheville and the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium are pleased to issue this pre-announcement regarding the upcoming application cycle for HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and HOME-ARP funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This notice provides our housing partners and the public with advance information to help prepare for the application process. In addition to the annual HOME Program funding for Rental Construction, the City will make HOME-American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) applications available for Rental Construction and Supportive Services via separate Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) Eligible projects within the counties and municipalities of the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium may apply: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania Counties. Applications Prospective applicants should align their proposed project with one of the available funding opportunities in preparation for the upcoming application cycle. NOFOs will be released and applications will open November 2, 2026. Applications will close on December 18, 2026. HOME Rental Construction (Annual Entitlement): $1,400,065 will be made available to support acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing units. HOME-ARP Rental Construction: $3,001,942 will be designated for the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing units. While similar to HOME, HOME-ARP comes with additional programmatic requirements and flexibilities. HOME-ARP Supportive Services: $1,000,000 will be offered for eligible supportive services, including: mental health treatment services, substance abuse support, rental or financial assistance, and case management. Important Dates Solicitation of Applications: Submission of applications will begin on November 2, 2026. Applications must be submitted through Neighborly. Pre-Application Information Session: On Thursday, October 22, 2026 there will be a virtual information session on Asheville’s HOME-ARP Program. Participants can join by phone by dialing +1 (609) 469-1753 and PIN: 732 959 093# Application Q&A Sessions: HOME Rental Construction (Annual Entitlement): Prospective applicants are invited to join a virtual Q&A session on November 19, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Alternatively, participants can dial in at +1 (337) 359-2619 (PIN: 294669355#). HOME-ARP Rental Construction: Prospective applicants can attend a virtual Q&A session scheduled for November 19, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., or call in at +1 (405) 656-0063 (PIN: 421434378#). HOME-ARP Supportive Services: A virtual Q&A session for interested applicants will be held on November 19, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Attendance by phone is also available by dialing +1 (518) 663-2735 (PIN: 333963615#). Application Submission Deadline: Applications for all three opportunities are due by 5:00pm on December 18, 2026. Applications must be submitted via Neighborly to be considered. Award Decisions: The City of Asheville will work alongside the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium to make award recommendations. It is anticipated that final award decisions will be made by the Asheville City Council in April 2027 in advance of NCHFA’s tax credit deadlines in May. Next Steps In advance of the formal Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on November 2, 2026, interested partners are encouraged to begin preparations, including: Reviewing the City’s HOME policies and programmatic documents on the Community Development Division’s Plans, Policies, and Reports page Reviewing all relevant federal and local requirements for the HOME program Finalizing project scopes and budgets Create a user account in Neighborly Subscribe to our email list by contacting CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov Disclaimer This pre-announcement is for planning purposes only and is not a guarantee of funds. The City of Asheville and/or Applicant will not be legally bound to any project until a formal written agreement is executed after the full application and review process is complete. No choice-limiting actions may occur before the completion of the required environmental review. Contact Information For more information, please visit the Community Development Webpage or contact us at CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. Our Web Pages To help navigate the Community Development Division, please find the links to our web pages below. HUD Programs Plans, Policy and Reports Public Notices Community Development Projects and Initiatives Get Involved To be added to the Community Development email list, please email us at CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. Consider joining one of our meetings below to get more involved. Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) ARHC is our regional consortium that helps manage HOME funds in our 4 County region – Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania. Housing & Community Development Committee (HCD) HCD is made up of 3 City Council members who provide policy recommendations to Council on all matters relating to the creation and maintenance of affordable housing within the city, as well as services related to homelessness. Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) AHAC provides guidance on priorities and policies to Preserve, Protect & Produce Affordable Housing. Community Development Staff Staff Name Title Program Area Email James Shelton Community Development Division Manager Annual Entitlement jshelton2@ashevillenc.gov Deborah Johnson Community Development Analyst II Annual Entitlement djohnson2@ashevillenc.gov Kaylee Pulliam Community Development Analyst II Annual Entitlement kpulliam@ashevillenc.gov Sofia Bonilla CDBG Program Analyst Annual Entitlement sbonilla@ashevillenc.gov Dora Tovar Community Development Coordinator Annual Entitlement dtovar@ashevillenc.gov Elma King CDBG-DR Program Manager Disaster Recovery eking@ashevillenc.gov Amber Stapleton CDBG-DR Housing Programs Lead Disaster Recovery astapleton@ashevillenc.gov Charlie Savage CDBG-DR Economic Revitalization Programs Lead Disaster Recovery csavage@ashevillenc.gov Kate Fehlenberg CDBG-DR Infrastructure Programs Lead Disaster Recovery kfehlenberg@ashevillenc.gov Rebecca Walter CDBG-DR Communication Specialist Disaster Recovery rwalter@ashevillenc.gov If you are looking for affordable housing, suffering a housing crisis, in need of rental assistance or down payment assistance, or you have concerns about our homeless community, please call 211. The service is free, confidential and available in any language.
