Libraries, behavioral health and community paramedics highlighted as housing-stability supports

County and partner staff told the committee that non‑housing services—library-based social work, behavioral-health outreach, community paramedicine and recovery housing—play an important role in preventing homelessness and supporting people into stable housing.

Jason Hyatt, representing Buncombe County Library services, described two library initiatives that support people facing housing instability: a full-time library safety associate position (a county staff hire intended to replace uniform contracted security with a plainclothes staff member who can build relationships) and a part-time Homeward Bound case manager funded by the library budget. Hyatt said that the plainclothes safety associate model reduced conduct incidents and increased staff comfort; the position is vacant at the moment and actively being recruited.

Hyatt said the Homeward Bound case manager spends roughly 20 hours per week on site at Pack Memorial Library and focuses primarily on housing issues, working with patrons who need help with housing applications, de-escalation and referrals to AHOPE and other providers. The case manager has helped divert patrons from homelessness and in some cases assisted older adults to secure housing and furnishings after move-in.

Victoria Reichert (behavioral health staff) reported trends from coordinated entry and permanent supportive housing assessments. She said coordinated entry showed a sharp rise in vulnerability assessments recommending permanent supportive housing: staff reported 66% at a comparable point in FY 2023, 73% in the prior year and 92% in the current reporting period, indicating a larger share of people assessed have complex needs that require wraparound supports. Reichert said the number of people moving into housing is lower than last year and attributed part of that to changes in Asheville Housing Authority application processes and timing.

Reichert also described community paramedicine and recovery-related investments: community paramedics coordinate care and assist communicable-disease nurses in locating clients who need treatment follow-up; county staff reported a reduction in paramedic responses to overdoses alongside an increase in medication inductions for opioid-use disorder, which staff said helps stabilize people so they can pursue housing applications and follow-through.

Reichert said opioid-settlement and related funds are being used for social-determinants support; staff reported that roughly 57% of a recent allocation went toward housing retention and supportive steps, with about $112,000 cited as having gone toward housing support (staff presented this as a near-year of expenditure data).

Reichert also noted a new Community Development Block Grant Recovery Housing award that would expand transitional housing capacity: staff reported an additional $2.5 million awarded to supplement a prior $1 million award to support Transformation Village and other recovery housing options after storm-related damage to existing facilities; an environmental review was described as pending.

Ending: Staff said these non-development supports are important to moving people into and retaining housing and that partners will continue coordinating service responses and tracking how changes in shelter capacity and housing authority policies affect placement rates.