Asheville – Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) has recently celebrated the acquisition of two substantial grants supporting their Essential Home Repair program. The Sisters of Mercy North Carolina Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant, while The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina has provided a $20,000 Human Services grant. These funds are earmarked for health- and safety-related home repairs for low-income and special needs homeowners.
Geoffrey Barton, President and CEO of MHO, underscored the significance of these grants, stating, “The greater Asheville region is experiencing an unprecedented housing affordability crisis. Essential home repairs prevent homelessness and displacement, help maintain the viability of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing, and keep our neighbors safe and stable in the homes that they already own.”
Since 1988, MHO has administered nearly 5,000 health- and safety-related home repairs through its Essential Home Repair program, ensuring accessibility and the ability to age in place by installing ramps, railings, and grab bars. This year, MHO will serve more than 150 people through this vital service.
Lee DeVico, who leads the Essential Home Repair program at MHO, emphasized the high demand for their services, with a waitlist of over 50 households in need of critical home repairs. DeVico expressed gratitude for the grant, which will enable the program to continue serving economically disadvantaged residents and supporting safe, healthy, secure housing—a fundamental social determinant of health.
The Essential Home Repair program serves low-income older adults, people with disabilities, single-parent households, and families with three or more dependent children in Buncombe County. MHO now serves Medicaid-enrolled residents in Buncombe, McDowell, Rutherford, and Yancey Counties through their partnership in the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, a program of Impact Health.
Virginia Dollar, Senior Program Officer with The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, highlighted the importance of essential home repairs in addressing the region’s affordability crisis. She expressed gratitude to MHO for providing timely, essential repairs that allow families to stay healthy and secure in their homes.
MHO acknowledged the support of various funds and organizations, including the Fenton Family WNC Fund, the Peterson Endowment Fund, the Trillium Fund, and the Wasson – Stowe Charitable Fund, and all of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina for their support of the Human Services grant provided to their Essential Home Repair Program.
Mountain Housing Opportunities, founded in 1988, is the regional nonprofit leader in developing and preserving safe, stable, and affordable housing in Buncombe County and beyond. The organization serves more than 2,000 households each year in western North Carolina through various programs. Their mission is to build and improve homes, neighborhoods, communities, and lives, and to build hope and dignity in the people they serve.
For more information, visit mtnhousing.org.