County Commits $1.3M to Assist Nearly 900 Affordable Housing Units

Buncombe County -- Buncombe County Government Local News: Oct 21,2020 Calling it a “challenge that won’t go away,”

Commission Chair Brownie Newman expressed excitement about making ground on helping provide affordable housing for Buncombe County. During their meeting on Oct. 20, Commissioners unanimously approved nearly $1.3 million for projects that will help provide 892 affordable housing units, a key component of the County’s 2025 Strategic Plan.

The funding comes from the Affordable Housing Services Program (AHSP), and the projects are vetted and scored by the County’s Affordable Housing Committee, a group that reports and makes recommendations to Commissioners. In all, the committee considered 14 applications requesting more than $5 million before landing on nine projects that meet the task force’s criteria. Those initiatives will provide new construction, rental assistance, emergency repairs, and more. “This was a good process,” stated Newman. “I think that setting up the subcommittees is really paying off… This was in-depth conversation for a significant investment we are considering,” he said, noting he believes Commissioners were a lot more informed on the projects than in past years.

The following are the projects receiving funding from the AHSP:

Jasper Apartments, $1,068,476 to help build 84 units
Eblen Charities, $156,000 for rental assistance
Eliada Homes, $10,050 for rental assistance
Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, $228,449 for emergency home repairs
Mountain Housing Opportunities, $300,000 for emergency home repairs
CIMA, $25,000 for emergency home repairs
Eliada Homes, $25,000 for construction of on-site, affordable units
On Track Financial Education & Counseling, $25,000 to provide homeownership programming for 592 people
Buncombe County, $40,000 for four employee assistance benefit program loans
The Affordable Housing Committee has a balance of $673,297 that is still to be determined. “I’m glad we have additional funds, because we don’t know what will happen with the pandemic,” noted Commissioner Amanda Edwards. County staff said there are ongoing discussions about using the remaining funds for COVID-related issues, and recommendations would be forthcoming.

You can learn more about the projects that will receive funding here.