Avery County approves CDBG amendment to fund local domestic violence shelter

The Avery County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5 approved a project amendment and accompanying budget amendment to repurpose a U.S. Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award into a local domestic violence shelter.

Michelle Ball, speaking for county staff, said Avery County was awarded $950,000 in November 2022 to build a 3,000-square-foot transitional reentry facility but that the originally identified site became unavailable. After discussions with the Department of Commerce, staff proposed using the funds to acquire and rehabilitate an existing house as a domestic violence home to keep survivors and their children in-county, rather than requiring travel to Watauga County. Ball said the proposed budget would create an acquisition line with $500,000 and a rehabilitation line with about $355,000, and noted the grant includes a standard 10% administrative set-aside under CDBG rules.

Jeannie Petrell, executive director of Oasis Incorporated of Boone, told the commissioners Oasis currently serves Avery residents from an office in Avery and operates a shelter in Watauga County. ‘‘It would be a regular-looking house that people take a lot of pride in,’’ Petrell said, describing security upgrades and on-site support services planned for residents.

At the public hearing, Greg Jenkins, a member of the public, criticized the decision to use the grant for a shelter and urged the county instead to prioritize veterans’ needs. ‘‘Why isn't this grant going towards a veteran shelter?’’ Jenkins asked. County staff responded that CDBG eligibility requires a majority of beneficiaries to be low- and moderate-income and that ‘‘special populations’’ such as shelter residents are presumed to meet that test; staff also said the 10% admin is standard, audited by the state and pays for project administration rather than local campaign activity.

After questions and discussion, a motion to approve the project amendment and budget amendment carried by voice vote; the record shows the board approved the change and directed staff to leave the signature documents for processing. The proposed facility location will not be publicly disclosed in records to protect occupant safety, consistent with state rules on shelter confidentiality.

Next steps: county staff will finalize and sign the project and budget amendment documents with the state and proceed with property acquisition and rehabilitation under CDBG rules. The board did not set a public timeline for the facility opening.