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• Buncombe County still won’t answer questions about displacement (new)

• Asheville should support both affordable housing construction and home repair (updated with new template)

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• Asheville should complete its affordable housing recovery investments (Resolved positively)
• Asheville should shift public safety funding toward prevention and community stability instead of continued expansion of expensive reactive policing systems (Resolved Negatively)

Questions remain about City’s housing recovery plan

This week, Asheville City Council is preparing for a June 23 vote on a proposed amendment that would move $19.2 million in federal disaster recovery funds into the State-administered Renew NC homeowner repair and reconstruction program. We support helping storm-impacted homeowners remain housed. The question is whether this proposal represents the most effective way to do so. City staff have identified approximately 108 low-income households as priority candidates for assistance through Renew NC, yet even with the proposed funding increase, only about 60 households are expected to be served. Before shifting $19.2 million away from affordable housing and infrastructure, Council should be able to demonstrate that this approach represents the best available use of those funds. Unfortunately, Renew NC and City staff have yet to share key information with both elected officials and the public about repair costs, reconstruction decisions, and the relationship between repair costs and home values. Without that information, it is impossible to evaluate whether this proposal is the most effective way to help these families—or whether other approaches might allow Asheville to help more households with the same limited recovery dollars.

Buncombe County’s Silence on Anti-Displacement

At the County level, commissioners continue to advance major recovery, housing, and redevelopment initiatives without adopting a formal anti-displacement framework, despite repeated requests from residents over the past six months. At recent meetings, community members again urged the County to evaluate how its decisions affect housing stability and displacement, yet commissioners have offered no meaningful public response. We believe residents deserve more than silence. If displacement is a serious concern—and all available evidence suggests it is—County leaders should explain whether they intend to address it and how.

Report Back: City approves affordable housing project and budget

Finally, we report back on two important City Council decisions from last week. Council approved Terrace at River Hills, completing the affordable housing investments recommended through the City’s competitive review process. Council also adopted the FY27 budget without significant changes to its public safety approach, continuing investments in surveillance and policing while declining to shift resources toward prevention-oriented community safety strategies.

Take action with us:

• Email the Asheville City Council to delay or reject the proposed $19.2 million transfer into Renew NC, until Asheville residents receive clear evidence that this program is the most effective use of those recovery funds.
• Email the Buncombe County Commission urging them to respond to concerned residents’ requests for an anti-displacement policy.

Resources:

• Click here to read our full proposed anti-displacement policy proposal