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Buncombe County -- April 26, 2024: Press Release Buncombe County Government Community News:
The Continuum of Care (COC) is the formal planning body with primary responsibility
for homelessness response in the Asheville-Buncombe community. Its newly-formed membership of over 300 stakeholders met for the first time, February 29, 2024, to adopt a new governance charter and again, April 25, 2024, to elect a new leadership Board.
The City’s Role
The City of Asheville’s role as municipal government is to participate in the CoC as a key stakeholder and to coordinate its homelessness efforts through the CoC for best community results. The CoC Board includes a dedicated seat for City staff filled by City Manager Debra Campbell and a Non-Voting Liaison from City Council filled by Mayor Manheimer. The City’s Homeless Strategy Division provides staff support to the CoC.
Newly elected Board members are:
Representative Seats:
Karen Hayes-Roberts Umoja
Josh Morrow Sunrise
Melina Arrowood Mission Hospital
Celeste Ordiway Vaya Health
Scott Rogers ABCCM
Christian Chambers Safe Shelter
Jenny Moffatt Homeward Bound
April Burgess-Johnson Helpmate
Chief Mike Lamb APD
Rick Freeman Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods
Appointed Seats
Monique Pierre HACA
Lacy Hoyle Buncombe County
Debra Campbell City of Asheville
Katie Miller VA Medical Center
Non-Voting Liaisons
Mayor Manheimer Asheville City Council
Parker Sloan Buncombe County Commission
The Board will participate in training and will set strategy for the CoC’s collaborative work. Board members bring their expertise and resources to bear and make decisions based on what will deliver best outcomes for the community’s homelessness response through the Continuum of Care.
CoC Membership is open to all individuals and organizations with an interest in understanding homelessness and taking action to address it.
Point-in-Time Count
CoCs are required to conduct a count of people experiencing homelessness during the last 10 days in January and to report those results to the federal government to inform strategy and resources. Based on 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) counts, homelessness increased by 12% nationally.
As the planning body leading the community’s homelessness response, the CoC heard 2024 PIT results at their April 25, 2024 meeting. Results reflect a return to pre-pandemic shelter and transitional housing capacity and a more accurate unsheltered count due to an improved count process and a 72% increase in volunteer participation.
The 2024 unsheltered count plan was developed with Community Responders, APD, outreach staff from partner agencies, and Peer Support Specialists with lived experience of homelessness. Their input resulted in significant methodology changes to expand the count for better accuracy, specifically adding a day-after count, targeted campsite outreach from professionals, and adding service locations frequented by unsheltered people. The expanded count identified 102 additional people who would not have been counted using prior years’ methodology.
People in Shelter and Transitional Housing People Without Shelter (Unsheltered) Total People
2019 502 78 580
2020 482 65 547
2021 411 116 527
2022 405 232 637
2023 402 171 573
Projected 520 117 637
2024 520 219** 739
*Projected count if we had used the same methodology as prior years
**With a collaborative planning approach and doubled coverage for the unsheltered count, 102 additional people were identified.
Next Steps
The newly elected CoC Board will use PIT data to inform strategy development for the CoC. The full report will be posted on the Homeless Strategy Division data webpage. Community members interested in joining the community’s homelessness response are encouraged to learn more and to join the Continuum of Care to participate in collective action.
--
Sam Parada
Communications Specialist
City of Asheville CAPE
828-575-6329 (cell)
sparada@ashevillenc.gov
