2025 Progress

June 3, 2025, Buncombe County Commissioners were given an update on the COC Board's Activities: 

Application process underway to fill 4 Vacant CoC Board seats

• HACA appointed voting seat is currently filled by HACA Interim CEO, in a non-voting/liaison capacity

Established New Workgroups:

• Healthcare Workgroup • Shelter Planning Workgroup

CoC Board Actions:

• Adopted Plan for Compensation of People with Lived & Living Experience of Homelessness (outlines a structure to compensate persons; no funding secured)

• Selected Goodwill Industries as Fiscal Agent (apply for/receive/disburse funds)

CoC STRATEGIC PLAN CoC Strategic Planning Process and Timeline:

January 15: Members invited to give input at monthly meeting

February 17-18: CoC Board participates in planning sessions facilitated by HUD TA

April 22: Draft 3-year strategic plan shared with CoC Board for feedback

May 8: CoC Board reviewed feedback and made suggestions for revisions

June 12:CoC Board to vote on adoption of CoC Strategic Plan final draft

 • Plan is structured around 4 objectives, each with 3 strategies and associated actions:

1. Decrease unsheltered homelessness

2. Increase exits from homelessness to permanent housing

3. Coordinate and expand homelessness prevention, diversion, and rapid rehousing

4. Build housing focused system capacity

• Strategies will be assigned to a CoC Board Member for oversight

• Actions will be assigned to a formal CoC body to lead implementation

The Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care (CoC) is the collaborative planning body responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive and well-coordinated system of effective services designed to prevent and quickly resolve occurrences of homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County. The CoC has four components:

1. A membership body of individuals and organizations with an interest in understanding homelessness and taking action together to address it. There are currently over 400 members of the Asheville-Buncombe CoC.
2. A board elected by the membership body, from the membership body, to set strategy, priorities, and performance metrics. The CoC board brings together leaders of partner systems of care with fiscal and program authority. The first board of the CoC was elected on April 25, 2024 at a meeting of the full membership.
3. Committees and work groups of members, appointed by the board, and given clear scopes of work, duties, deliverables, and time frames. Much of the substantive work of the CoC will happen in committees. 
4. A Lead Agency designated by the membership body to provide strategic and administrative support to the CoC. The City of Asheville’s Homeless Strategy Division serves as the CoC Lead Agency. The CoC is not an initiative of the City of Asheville, but is community-based work with staff support from the Homeless Strategy Division.

https://www.ashevillenc.gov/projects/asheville-buncombe-continuum-of-care/