Citizens Speak Out About Safety and Homelessness, Present Plans
Homelessness and crime in Asheville have been in the news a lot lately, especially since the Washington, DC-based National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) made its $73,000 recommendations to the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC), Asheville City Council, and Buncombe County Commissioners on January 25th. The plan, called Within Reach, for all of its cost, […]
Homelessness Recommendations Spark Meltdown
In an epiphany, a wannabe reporter realizes she has wasted 20 hours a week for the most of her life laboring over words that mean nothing and come to naught. What's more, she's been torturing readers by repeating the verbiage, as if they're supposed to care. She swears, "Never again!"
Homelessness Up, Crime Down
The COVID era was a time of pivoting for agencies caring for the homeless. Despite millions in federal funding, with innovations in non congregate care, and growth in permanent supportive housing, the local homeless population increased 21% from January 2021 to January 2022.
Large Encampments Are Hotbeds For Crime
Large encampments, viewed as refuges for those dispossessed by COVID fears and policies, have become hotbeds for crime. Asheville’s gutted-out police force is now doing double-duty as social workers to connect campers to government services. Anarchists are willing to fight to keep people out of the system.
Ramada Neighbors Take Grievances to County
Residents and property and business owners feel the shelter at the Ramada Inn, rather than helping persons suffering addiction, has burdened their neighborhood with filthy and criminal activities. Finding Asheville City Council, which intends to purchase the shelter, unresponsive to their demands for a safe neighborhood, they took their complaints to the county commissioners.
Helping the Poor with Committees and Plans
Winter is coming, the homeless population remains at record levels and the City of Asheville is sitting on hundreds of thousands of federal dollars disbursed to aid the disadvantaged and dispossessed with housing. The funds are being held up, for approximately a year, to give the city time to come up with a plan, with public listening sessions, to help decide who should receive funding.