URGENT
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PROBLEMATIC
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The Buncombe County Commission meets this Tuesday 8/2/22 at 5 pm. You can attend the meeting at 200 College Street, Room 326 in downtown Asheville. You can watch the meeting online via Buncombe County’s Facebook page. The full agenda is here.
YELLOW:
Things of concern, more information needed
The priority of the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is to provide continuity of service to customers whose water and/or wastewater service has been disconnected or is in danger of being disconnected.
This seems like a worthwhile program, but we have questions about how benefits will be distributed, and what data will be collected to ensure that those most in need are being reached. More specifically, we wonder whether the racial demographics of participants will be tracked, since this relief should be prioritizing community members of color, given the inequities in our county when it comes to the social determinants of health. We also wonder whether this program provides relief to homeowners only, or if renters will also be able to benefit from it.
Things to do
We encourage you to reach out to the Buncombe County Commission via their contact page and ask them how staff will be tracking racial demographic data, supporting renters, and otherwise ensuring that those who most need this relief are receiving it.