Continuum of Care Elects Board Members: 2024 Point-In-Time Count Numbers

Buncombe County -- April 26, 2024: Press Release Buncombe County Government Community News:

The Continuum of Care (COC) is the formal planning body with primary responsibility

for homelessness response in the Asheville-Buncombe community. Its newly-formed membership of over 300 stakeholders met for the first time, February 29, 2024, to adopt a new governance charter and again, April 25, 2024, to elect a new leadership Board. 

The City’s Role

The City of Asheville’s role as municipal government is to participate in the CoC as a key stakeholder and to coordinate its homelessness efforts through the CoC for best community results. The CoC Board includes a dedicated seat for City staff filled by City Manager Debra Campbell and a Non-Voting Liaison from City Council filled by Mayor Manheimer. The City’s Homeless Strategy Division provides staff support to the CoC.

Newly elected Board members are:

Representative Seats: 

Karen Hayes-Roberts   Umoja

Josh Morrow                  Sunrise

Melina Arrowood            Mission Hospital

Celeste Ordiway             Vaya Health

Scott Rogers                   ABCCM

Christian Chambers        Safe Shelter

Jenny Moffatt                   Homeward Bound

April Burgess-Johnson     Helpmate

Chief Mike Lamb               APD

Rick Freeman                   Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods

Appointed Seats               

Monique Pierre                   HACA                               

Lacy Hoyle                          Buncombe County           
Debra Campbell                  City of Asheville                    

Katie Miller                           VA Medical Center

Non-Voting Liaisons

Mayor Manheimer                Asheville City Council

Parker Sloan                        Buncombe County Commission

The Board will participate in training and will set strategy for the CoC’s collaborative work. Board members bring their expertise and resources to bear and make decisions based on what will deliver best outcomes for the community’s homelessness response through the Continuum of Care.

CoC Membership is open to all individuals and organizations with an interest in understanding homelessness and taking action to address it.

Point-in-Time Count

CoCs are required to conduct a count of people experiencing homelessness during the last 10 days in January and to report those results to the federal government to inform strategy and resources. Based on 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) counts, homelessness increased by 12% nationally.

As the planning body leading the community’s homelessness response, the CoC heard 2024 PIT results at their April 25, 2024 meeting. Results reflect a return to pre-pandemic shelter and transitional housing capacity and a more accurate unsheltered count due to an improved count process and a 72% increase in volunteer participation.

The 2024 unsheltered count plan was developed with Community Responders, APD, outreach staff from partner agencies, and Peer Support Specialists with lived experience of homelessness. Their input resulted in significant methodology changes to expand the count for better accuracy, specifically adding a day-after count, targeted campsite outreach from professionals, and adding service locations frequented by unsheltered people. The expanded count identified 102 additional people who would not have been counted using prior years’ methodology.

People in Shelter and Transitional Housing          People Without Shelter (Unsheltered)                  Total People

2019                    502                                                               78                                                      580

2020                    482                                                               65                                                      547

2021                     411                                                             116                                                      527

2022                     405                                                              232                                                     637

2023                      402                                                             171                                                     573

Projected               520                                                             117                                                     637

2024                       520                                                             219**                                                   739

*Projected count if we had used the same methodology as prior years

**With a collaborative planning approach and doubled coverage for the unsheltered count, 102 additional people were identified.

Next Steps

The newly elected CoC Board will use PIT data to inform strategy development for the CoC. The full report will be posted on the Homeless Strategy Division data webpage. Community members interested in joining the community’s homelessness response are encouraged to learn more and to join the Continuum of Care to participate in collective action.

--
Sam Parada

Communications Specialist
City of Asheville CAPE
828-575-6329 (cell)
sparada@ashevillenc.gov