Homeless Strategy Last updated or reviewed on December 4, 2024 Homelessness is bad for our community: people who experience it are community members in dire need, and people not experiencing it are often negatively impacted by its effects. Whether we’re experiencing homelessness, frustrated by what’s happening around our businesses or in our neighborhoods, or seeking to advocate and take action, we all want the same outcome: zero homelessness in Asheville. By focusing on that shared goal and working towards it together, we can build a strategy and a community-wide response that ends homelessness and fosters a community where all of us can thrive. People in our community experience homelessness when they’re unable to afford housing or lack sufficient support and resources during a normal life crisis. The goal of the community’s homeless service system is to respond to that crisis as quickly and sustainably as possible, with right-sized services that may include homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, housing navigation, or permanent housing with rental assistance and case management. These interventions are provided by an array of individual organizations with a variety of missions, approaches to service delivery, programs, populations served, and funding. The City of Asheville is not a direct service provider or authority but is committed to collaborative homelessness response through the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care (CoC). The CoC is a local planning body that leads homelessness response in our community, and both City management and City Council have dedicated seats on its Board to work alongside service providers and other stakeholders to help shape strategy and expand capacity to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness. As a community-based collaborative planning body, the CoC designates a Lead Agency to provide administrative and strategic support. The City currently serves as the Lead Agency for the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care, and the Homeless Strategy Division fulfills those responsibilities through staffing the CoC’s Board, Membership, Committees, and Work Groups. The Homeless Strategy Division is also designated to manage the CoC’s Homeless Management Information System to help service providers collect data to inform the CoC’s evaluation of what’s working and what needs to be improved for better community outcomes. Seeking Housing Assistance? Visit https://nc211.org or call 2-1-1 to connect with local resources. Access the City’s 2022 Affordable Housing Guide in both English and Spanish for local rental properties. Code Purple is the homeless service system’s initiative to provide additional shelter beds when the temperature is at or below 32 degrees or 33-40 degrees with precipitation. How to Participate Learn More Overview of Homelessness in Asheville Data Funding Opportunities Understanding Unsheltered Homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness Recommendations) Register for an upcoming Homelessness Learning Series Take Action: Join the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care The Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care is the collaborative planning body responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive and well-coordinated system of effective services designed to quickly resolve occurrences of homelessness. Through membership in the Continuum of Care, stakeholders elect a board of directors, serve on committees and work groups, and take action together to respond to homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County. Submit a Membership Form to formally join the CoC. Contact Information Homeless Strategy Division staff value equity, problem solving, data-driven strategies, collaboration, transparency, and learning from experts, especially people with lived experience of homelessness. Contact us to learn more about how you can be part of the solution to homelessness in our community. Emily Ball Homeless Strategy Division Manager eball@ashevillenc.gov (828) 271-6129
