Community Development Welcome to Community Development! The Division works to build opportunities for community access to housing. Community Development manages and administers HUD funded programs for Asheville and a four-county consortium consisting of Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Madison Counties. These programs provide affordable housing, economic opportunities and other benefits for low-income residents. They include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and other programs funded by HUD. Most of the funding from these programs is distributed to organizations in Asheville and the four county consortium through a competitive application processes. The Division also manages and administers City of Asheville funding for affordable housing and outside agencies. Affordable Housing programs include the Housing Trust Fund and Affordable Housing Fee Rebate program. The Asheville-Buncombe County Homelessness Initiative is also managed within the Community Development Division. The Division supports Asheville area citizens on issues related to affordable housing and community development. Get Involved! To be added to the Community Development email listserv, please fill out our google form found here . For additional Information please contact Christina Harris at charris@ashevillenc.gov . Consider joining one of our meetings below to get more involved. Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) AHAC provides guidance on Policies & Procedures to Preserve, Protect & Produce Affordable Housing. Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) ARHC is our regional consortium that helps manage HOME funds in our 4 County region – Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania. Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC) HIAC is the Committee responsible for implementing the Five Year Strategic Plan on Homelessness in Buncombe County. 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. Community Development Staff Paul D’Angelo / Community Development (CD) Program Director pdangelo@ashevillenc.gov / 828 251-4098 — Jonathon Jones / CD Financial Analyst jjones2@ashevillenc.gov / 828 259-5733 — Megan Gaskell / CD Analyst – CDBG mgaskell@ashevillenc.gov / 828 232- 4599 — Brian Huskey / CD Analyst – Continuum of Care, Emergency Solutions Grant bhuskey@ashevillenc.gov / 828 251-4048 — Nancy Williams / CD Analyst – HOME nwilliams@ashevillenc.gov / 828 232-4503 — Emily Ball / CD Homeless Services Systems Performance Lead eball@ashevillenc.gov / 828 271-6129 — Christina Harris / CD Coordinator charris@ashevillenc.gov /828 – 251- 4017 — Alex Mitchiner / CD Workforce Development – CAYLA amitchiner@ashevillenc.gov — Marybrook Cox / CD Analyst – Housing Funds & Real Estate mcox@ashevillenc.gov — Laura Near / CDBG – CV Administrative Assistant lnear@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. Updated: 08/10/2021 Related Services MWSBE Certification Find information to register for certification as a Minority, Woman, and/or Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) with the City of Asheville. Business Inclusion 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. Apply for a commercial film or photography permit Information about commercial filming and photography work involving city-owned property, sidewalks, streets, and parks. Apply for a special event or festival permit Information about hosting an event on city-owned property, sidewalks, streets and parks. 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. To find out when Code Purple is in effect, visit the Homeless Coalition’s Code [...] Find financial support for your Asheville business Learn about financial support that may be available for your business. Find or register a minority, women or disabled-owned business Resources for finding or registering a minority, women or disabled-owned business. More Related Services Community Development News Voices from Asheville’s Emergency Shelter, Part 1: Tony and Lisa Posted on October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 by Angelica Driver This spring, the City of Asheville began providing rooms for unsheltered people experiencing homelessness at several hotels in the area, including at the Ramada Inn, 148 River Ford Parkway. This incredible opportunity was made possible by an unprecedented level of federal funding from several sources. It played a key role in keeping our homeless community [...] Homelessness: How our whole community wins when we invest in ending homelessness Posted on September 27, 2021October 11, 2021 by Angelica Driver Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on homelessness solutions in Asheville. Homelessness issues in Asheville are long-standing and complex. Right now, the City of Asheville has an unprecedented level of resources available to help end chronic homelessness and build the homeless service system we need to best [...] City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office launches AVL Pathways to Grow training program Posted on September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Angelica Driver The City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office is excited to announce a new training program for local small businesses, AVL Pathways to Grow. The training program is geared towards helping women and small business owners of color to grow and scale up their businesses. AVL Pathways to Grow is a collaboration between the City’s Business Inclusion [...] More Community Development News
MWSBE Certification Find information to register for certification as a Minority, Woman, and/or Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) with the City of Asheville.
Business Inclusion 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.
Apply for a commercial film or photography permit Information about commercial filming and photography work involving city-owned property, sidewalks, streets, and parks.
Apply for a special event or festival permit Information about hosting an event on city-owned property, sidewalks, streets and parks.
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. To find out when Code Purple is in effect, visit the Homeless Coalition’s Code [...]
Find financial support for your Asheville business Learn about financial support that may be available for your business.
Find or register a minority, women or disabled-owned business Resources for finding or registering a minority, women or disabled-owned business.
Voices from Asheville’s Emergency Shelter, Part 1: Tony and Lisa Posted on October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 by Angelica Driver This spring, the City of Asheville began providing rooms for unsheltered people experiencing homelessness at several hotels in the area, including at the Ramada Inn, 148 River Ford Parkway. This incredible opportunity was made possible by an unprecedented level of federal funding from several sources. It played a key role in keeping our homeless community [...]
Homelessness: How our whole community wins when we invest in ending homelessness Posted on September 27, 2021October 11, 2021 by Angelica Driver Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on homelessness solutions in Asheville. Homelessness issues in Asheville are long-standing and complex. Right now, the City of Asheville has an unprecedented level of resources available to help end chronic homelessness and build the homeless service system we need to best [...]
City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office launches AVL Pathways to Grow training program Posted on September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Angelica Driver The City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office is excited to announce a new training program for local small businesses, AVL Pathways to Grow. The training program is geared towards helping women and small business owners of color to grow and scale up their businesses. AVL Pathways to Grow is a collaboration between the City’s Business Inclusion [...]