Continuum of Care elects Board members and announces 2024 Point-In-Time count numbers

Helping hand homelessness

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

Proj.*

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.