‘It should give us a clear roadmap:’ Homelessness consultant to present ideas in January
By Andrew James
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — The city of Asheville is moving into the next phase of its work with a homelessness consultant. The National Alliance to End Homelessness was hired in May, in partnership with Dogwood Health Trust and Buncombe County.
“They have been really trying to understand the needs of the people who are unsheltered, the existing services in our community, the efforts that are currently being made by the city, county and service providers,” said Emily Ball, the city’s Homeless Strategy Division manager.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness completed a comprehensive needs assessment from June to September. That work included site visits and interviews with homeless service providers, focus groups with neighborhoods, businesses and faith communities, as well as data collection about Asheville’s homeless population.
“They really spent a lot of time on the ground with us here, a lot of face-to-face time with service providers, with people who are currently experiencing homelessness, with stakeholders in the community,” Ball said.
Ball said the consultant has done a thorough job learning the ins and outs of Asheville’s homeless community and available services.
“Those are vulnerable community members, they are citizens here who are suffering, and it also negatively impacts people who are housed in the community, absolutely benefits all of us to end homelessness for every single person who lives here,” she said.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness will present recommendations to Asheville and Buncombe County leaders from 1 p.m.–4 p.m. Jan. 25, 2023, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. The community is encouraged to attend the presentation.
“It should give us a clear roadmap about who is responsible for what, how to move that forward, what is working in other communities and how can we develop an implementation plan that will be effective,” Ball said.
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