Community Development

Last updated or reviewed on October 27, 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

Public Notice: Upcoming Applications for HOME & HOME-ARP Programs

The City of Asheville’s Community Development Division and the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium will be accepting applications for HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and HOME American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funding. The applications will open on November 2, 2026, and will close at 5:00 p.m EST on December 18, 2026. 

The City of Asheville and the Consortium are seeking eligible organizations operating in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties to carry out activities that expand affordable housing and provide essential supportive services. 

Available funding opportunities include:

  • HOME Rental Construction (Annual Entitlement): $1,400,065 for acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing units.
  • HOME-ARP Rental Construction: $3,001,942 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.

Key Dates:

  • Application Period: Opens November 2, 2026, and closes December 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST via Neighborly at https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/ashevillenc/Participant
  • Technical Assistance & Q&A Webinars: on November 19, 2026, the City’s Community Development Division will host webinars to provide information on the application process and technical assistance.  
  • Award Decisions: Consortium makes award recommendations in March 2027. Final conditional awards anticipated in April 2027 by the Asheville City Council.

The HOME and HOME-ARP programs are U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs administered locally by the City of Asheville’s Community Development Division to expand affordable housing and suitable living environments. For full details, visit the Community Development webpage at https://www.ashevillenc.gov/department/housing-economic-development/community-development/ or contact communitydevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. 

Notice of Non-Discrimination: The City of Asheville does not discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, age, handicap, sex, or sexual orientation. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA). THIS NOTICE AND DOCUMENTS LISTED CAN BE REQUESTED IN ALTERNATE FORMAT. AUXILIARY AIDS OR SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST, WITH AT LEAST THREE DAY’S NOTICE.

Our Web Pages

To help navigate the Community Development Division, please find the links to our web pages below. 

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.

ARHC is our regional consortium that helps manage HOME funds in our 4 County region – Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania.

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.

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.