North Carolina city to tackle homelessness for tourism preservation.
Asheville, North Carolina Takes Action to Address Homelessness and Panhandling
Asheville, North Carolina is determined to tackle its unsheltered homeless population and crack down on panhandling, especially in light of a decline in tourism. The city’s Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC) recently made unanimous recommendations to allocate $1.75 million towards expanding homeless shelter beds, as the number of unsheltered individuals has been on the rise.
The HIAC, a joint committee of the Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Commission, is responsible for researching, creating, and recommending policies to combat the homelessness crisis in the area. They also oversee the allocation of federal resources for this purpose.
While there has been a 10% decrease in overall homelessness compared to 2022, the number still remains 5% higher than pre-coronavirus levels. The homeless population outside of shelters has dropped by 26% from 2022, but it is still at 163% of pre-pandemic levels.
The recommendations put forth by the HIAC are in response to a report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which called for a reduction of the area’s homeless population by half. The report also suggested restructuring the joint commission responsible for the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care, a federal framework aimed at addressing homelessness.
The proposed plans include the addition of 95 new beds in the area. These beds would consist of 60 single-adult beds for low-barrier shelters, 25 beds for shelters with on-site mental health and substance abuse professionals, and 10 beds for families with children. The HIAC’s recommendation would cover 61% of this proposal.
Potential sites for the increased beds include church collaboratives, the Salvation Army, and other local shelter models. Emily Ball, Asheville’s homeless strategy division manager, referred to the vote as the “first wave” of efforts by the HIAC, while Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara described it as “a very big step forward.”
Beach-Ferrara emphasized the importance of the low-barrier shelter model in reducing homelessness, stating that rushing into creating shelters without careful consideration could lead to missed opportunities and ineffective solutions.
Simultaneously, the Asheville City Council is also addressing the issue of panhandling, which some believe is an attempt to protect the city’s tourism industry. Tourism plays a vital role in Asheville’s local economy, generating billions of dollars in spending and sustaining thousands of jobs. However, recent months have seen an 11% decline in tourism revenue.
City officials are now seeking to update local panhandling laws that have remained unchanged for two decades. Councilwoman Maggie Ullman emphasized the need for community discussion on the topic, acknowledging that opinions on panhandling vary. Proposals include implementing a 10-foot minimum barrier for panhandlers and prohibiting drivers from giving money to them, similar to measures taken in Charleston, South Carolina.
The city council is set to consider these proposals in August.
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