“I finally feel like we’ve finally reached a place where we’re no longer kicking the can down the road,” Commissioner Al Whitesides declared at last night’s Buncombe County Commission meeting.
Whitesides said this right before he and his fellow commissioners voted unanimously to approve $3.6 million in funding to expand shelter beds for the homeless in Buncombe County.
He said the move is a concrete step towards helping some of the area’s most vulnerable: the more than 700 people experiencing homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County.
“Now, we're doing something where we can hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel, because for a long time I felt that we were band-aiding it and piecemealing it. But now we can see where we're going.”
The money will create around 100 new emergency shelter beds through partnerships with Haywood Street Respite, Safe Shelter and the Salvation Army and includes:
- $1.6 million to help Haywood Street Respite expand from nine to 25 total beds
- $1 million to help Safe Shelter create a shelter bed program to eventually have 25 spaces
- $980,897 to help Salvation Army expand its bed space from 54 to 115
Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who has served as the commission’s homelessness liaison, took a moment of privilege to celebrate the decision.
“Our community has really rallied in inspiring ways, whether it's a startup like Safe Shelter or a long-standing provider in our community like Haywood Street figuring out ways to keep pushing to expand services,” she said.
“We don't always pause when significant things happen in our community to acknowledge them and, you know, with each of these beds, that's going to be changing someone's life – not just on a cold night, but there are the opportunities and the care that they're able to get.”
Beach-Ferrara pointed out that recommendations from the National Alliance to End Homelessness helped guide the city and county’s decision making.
In late 2023, the city and county overhauled their approach and restructured its Continuum of Care (CoC), a federal program and funding arm that builds and oversees a coordinated response to homelessness. They also signed an interlocal agreement to each provide $1.5 million to shelters in 2023.
The $3.6 million represents the final slice of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024. In 2021, the federal government granted the county around $50 million for COVID response efforts and to address economic fallout from the pandemic.
County to keep weight loss drugs in its health plan
With a few caveats, the county will keep coverage for weight loss drugs in its staff health plan.
Non-diabetic employees who seek weight loss drugs will see a co-pay increase from $50 to $200. They will also have to participate in a weight management program to qualify for use of the drugs. Diabetic employees will continue with the same coverage as previous years.
For the last month, commissioners weighed the steep costs of the drugs, known formally as GLP-1s, for non-diabetic employees, along with the potentially “profound benefits” of weight loss drugs.
The weight loss drugs, including Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda, cost upwards of $1,000 per month, adding a projected $750,000 to $1 million in costs to the county’s health plan.
The co-pay change, along with a few other coverage tweaks, will result in a $1.6 million annual increase for the county.
Other tidbits
- The Buncombe County Sports Park in Enka is getting a $4 million boost from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. The funds will provide turf and lighting for several fields, accessible bleachers, a renovated restroom and the installation of an inclusive playground. The county has already agreed to match the funds, bringing the total cost of the project to $7.8 million.
- Commissioners appointed Eric Cregger as the county’s new interim tax assessor, after terminating assessor R. Keith Miller during a special meeting yesterday afternoon. Cregger previously served as Assistant Director of Property Assessment and has worked at the county since 2015. Find the details of the special meeting where Miller’s retirement request was denied here.
- Commissioners voted to add one more person to the now 12-member Ad Hoc Short-Term Rental Committee. The addition was in response to a group of property managers criticizing the county’s decision to not previously include a property manager professional. The newly formed group will address short-term rental regulation over the next few months and deliver recommendations to the commission in November.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College Street, Room 326 in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the Sept. 17 meeting.
