Asheville Area to Get 36-Bed Emergency Homeless Shelter
What to Know
ASHEVILLE – ABCCM will break ground July 16 on a new 36-bed emergency homeless shelter on its Transformation Village campus, serving single women, women with children and up to two intact families, it announced in a July news release.
The 24/7 shelter is one planned expansion among several for the faith-based nonprofit, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, which runs three area shelters: Transformation Village, the Veterans Restoration Quarters, and Costello House.
New 36-Bed Shelter
Transformation Village, a sprawling facility off I-26 in Buncombe County, just outside of the city limits, provides 100 beds of transitional housing to women and children, most coming directly from the streets. It also has 25 beds for Code Purple shelter, emergency shelter that triggers when temperatures drop below freezing.
The new facility, dubbed Safe Haven, will operate year round. It’s planned for an area at the edge of the village’s existing parking lot and is projected to open Oct. 1. ABCCM does not require ID for entry at any of its emergency shelter or Code Purple beds, the release said. Drug or alcohol use will be prohibited on the campus. Arrangements will be made for pets with area pet shelters, veterinarians, or humane services.
“Through this Safe Haven, (women and children) will have opportunities to heal, to have good nutrition, access to training, access to health and mental health services,” the release said. “They will be offered rapid rehousing, with access to education and job training that leads to sustainable, living wage income that helps them find an affordable home.”
Planned Expansion
Another planned expansion of Transformation Village will bring 128 new transitional housing beds in a new 64-unit building, plus a 38-unit permanent supportive housing apartment building, the first of four they hope to build on the property.
Many more units of permanent supportive housing are in the works for the Veterans Restoration Quarters, an East Asheville campus with 200 transitional housing beds and 50 units of permanent supportive housing dedicated for veterans.
More Shelter Coming to Asheville?
Growing the city’s shelter inventory was a priority named in a January 2023 report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, as the city grapples with its homeless population that, like other localities nationwide, has seen burgeoning numbers since the onset of the pandemic.
The city and Buncombe County’s restructured Continuum of Care, a collaborative planning body that works to oversee a coordinated response to area homelessness, recently established a shelter planning workgroup.
During a July 11 update to the Housing and Community Development Committee, Homeless Strategy Division Manager Emily Ball said the workgroup anticipates issuing a request for partnership this month to the Continuum of Care to “identify partners who might be able to add shelter capacity.”
The workgroup will then review proposals received, confirm partners, and develop an overall plan to meet unmet shelter needs. After approval by the CoC board, it would submit the plan to Buncombe County for American Rescue Plan Act funding consideration.
Conclusion
As Asheville continues to address the needs of its homeless population, the addition of a new emergency homeless shelter is a significant step towards providing essential support and services to those in need. With more expansions planned and a collaborative effort to increase shelter capacity, the city is taking strides to offer a safe haven for vulnerable individuals and families.
