Continuum of Care names new board members, wins planning grant for homelessness-prevention pilot

Lacey Hoyle presented the quarterly Continuum of Care (CoC) update to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, reporting new board appointments, program activity and funding awards.

Hoyle said the CoC filled several seats: Marcia Mount Shoop (community member seat), Mary Brown (faith community seat, Central United Methodist Church/Church Street Collaborative), Captain Jonathan Brown (public safety seat, Asheville Police Department), Jerry Kivett Kimbrough (VA representative) and Ella Santos (interim HACA representative). The CoC is still recruiting to fill three additional board seats.

Board actions in the past quarter included adoption of initial charter revisions and a membership vote process, a partnership with the downtown YMCA to offer monthly shower access for people experiencing homelessness (with Asheville Fire Department resource engagement staff present to connect users to services), and selection of Goodwill Industries as the CoC's fiscal agent for administering compensation of people with lived experience and supporting certain funding applications.

Hoyle provided Code Purple winter-season metrics: 70 Code Purple nights under the criteria used last year; average nightly use of 48 people and a peak night of 83 people. She said planning for the upcoming Code Purple season is under way and the CoC expects to present an updated manual at its September meeting.

Funding updates included two awards from state disaster-related ESG recapture funds: HelpMate was awarded $75,000 for homelessness prevention; Homeward Bound was awarded $484,500 for prevention, rapid rehousing and HMIS support. Hoyle also described the Right at Home national homelessness-prevention partnership: the CoC applied for and was awarded a $275,000 planning grant to develop a prevention system over the next 6 to 12 months and to prepare an application for possible three-year implementation funding.

Hoyle said the CoC has applied to Dogwood Health Trust for a $270,000 collaboration and innovation grant to develop diversion services and a $35,000 capacity-building grant to support the compensation plan for people with lived experience. She said the CoC's FY25-26 ESG application requests and COC funding committee recommendations were adjusted to reflect agency capacity and needs.

Commissioner Ball asked whether the West Asheville planning subgroup coordinating with city action and recent ordinance/zoning changes; Hoyle said the small planning group includes city representatives and providers and is coordinating with city staff and the Asheville Police Department. Hoyle also reminded commissioners that Commissioner Horton serves as the board's nonvoting liaison and that the next CoC board meeting is Sept. 11 (virtual) with a membership meeting Sept. 25 at Harris Cherokee Center.