Asheville, western North Carolina's major trading center, occupies the center of a four-county area in one of the most scenic sections of the Appalachian Mountains. The city formed a consortium with other local jurisdictions to develop a joint consolidated plan for addressing housing and community development issues. The consortium acknowledges that the natural attributes of the region are aesthetically pleasing. But it notes that there are serious impediments to development and recognizes that relatively low income levels provided by the services industry dominating the economy significantly limit individual opportunities.
Housing needs predominate in the planned use of $1,694,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and $1,172,000 in HOME funds requested in this plan. Rehabilitation of affordable units and development of the first 18 lots of a 36-lot subdivision will be the main activities.
Before preparing the consortium's plan, the Asheville Community Development staff held public meetings in the cities of Hendersonville and Asheville to discuss issues that should be included in the Consolidated Plan. The meetings attracted local elected officials, housing professionals, community leaders, social service professionals, and other citizens. A draft of the plan was made available to the consortium's jurisdictions for a 30-day comment period, during which a public hearing was held in Asheville. The Asheville City Council adopted the plan on May 9, 1995. The cooperating units of government had recognized the city of Asheville as the lead entity and authorized it to receive funding from HUD and the State of North Carolina.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
The Asheville Regional Housing Consortium is composed of 12 member governments in an area known as Region B, one of 17 North Carolina multicounty planning regions. The region encompasses four counties covering 1,867 square miles in the mountains of western North Carolina. The Asheville Regional Housing Consortium represents eight of 13 municipalities and four counties. The member governments in this alliance are Buncombe County, Asheville (the county seat of Buncombe County), Black Mountain, Brevard, Henderson County, Hendersonville, Hot Springs, Madison County, Montreat, Rosman, Transylvania County, and Woodfin. The communities range in size from Asheville with a 1990 population of 61,654, to Rosman with a 1990 population of 385. Asheville and Hendersonville, connected by the I-26/U.S. 25 corridor, are the principal urban centers. Outside the major cities and towns rural residential development predominates the mostly mountainous landscape. Until recent years, when Henderson County began to attract retirees and second-home owners, the area seemed virtually impervious to conventional patterns of development.
Median family income ranges from $31,331 in Henderson County to $23,963 in Madison County. The high proportion of the population employed in the service industry (31 percent) accounts for the relatively low-income levels. That sector is replacing manufacturing as the base industry in the region. As the trend toward employment in services continues, household income will continue to lag behind housing costs, as it has across the State over the last decade. Buncombe County has the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs, reflecting the role of Asheville as the trade and service center for western North Carolina.
Past trends show a steady decrease in nonwhite population, attributed to out-migration for better employment opportunities. Seven percent of the region's population was nonwhite in 1990. Asheville had a 1990, nonwhite population of 12,919, consisting almost entirely of African Americans who live predominantly in areas surrounding the central business district.
Except in Madison County, 20 percent of all white households earn less than 50 percent of the area's median income. In Madison County, 32 percent of such households earn less than half the area's median income. It can be assumed that these households are at risk of having housing problems, either with a physical or a cost burden.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels. MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.Renter-occupied housing in the region is increasing at about the same rate as owner-occupied housing. Of the 3,200 unit increase in renter-occupied housing in Buncombe County, all but 30 units were in Asheville. Henderson County has the highest percentage increase (26) in owner-occupied housing, because of an influx of retirees and second-home owners. More populous Buncombe County contains the largest number of households with housing problems. Of the 14,055 renters with housing problems in the county, 62 percent are found in Asheville. Most often the problem is cost burden over 30 percent of income in Asheville's rental market. The consortium maintains that households paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, particularly renter-occupied units, are the ones that should be targeted for federally funded housing activities. Of the 115,923 housing units in the consortium area only 1.7 percent are overcrowded and less than 1 percent lack complete plumbing and kitchen facilities.
Housing affordability problems in the consortium's jurisdiction are particularly acute among lower-income, renter-occupied households. About three out of every four renter-occupied households with incomes less than 50 percent of the area's median are paying more than 30 percent of their gross income on housing costs. Cost burden is less of a problem among owner-occupied households. Overall, the region's data reflect a statewide trend from 1980 through 1990: the cost of decent, quality housing has increased at a greater pace than incomes. While the physical problems of housing -- incomplete bathrooms, kitchens, and overcrowding -- have declined during this 10-year period, affordability remains the region's primary housing concern.
Surveys of the homeless population taken in October 1993 and March 1995 indicated that approximately 100 persons spent the night outside shelters in Asheville. During the March 1995 survey, 262 persons were in shelters, 89 were unsheltered, and 1,492 were doubled up with others. Representatives of the Affordable Housing Coalition and the Coalition for the Homeless reported that 40 percent of the homeless people counted in the surveys were women and children. This is twice the national average of 20 percent. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said they were fleeing domestic violence and 59 percent had substance abuse problems. Currently, there are no shelter beds for families; it is estimated that 122 beds are needed. The nonprofit Eliada Homes, Inc. provides transitional housing for households at risk of homelessness. It estimates that 75 transitional units are needed.
The Housing Authority of Asheville serves both Asheville and Buncombe County. It administers 1,722 public housing units in buildings, complexes, and scattered locations and all phases of the Section 8 certificate and voucher program with a total of 1,402 units. Their waiting list includes 1,319 households for Section 8 certificates and vouchers and 515 for public housing units. During the past year, the Housing Authority of Asheville was allocated 54 more Section 8 certificates and 50 units of public housing to replace 50 units sold under the HOPE I program.
The city of Asheville has recently assumed the redevelopment, rehabilitation, and related Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) activities previously provided by the authority. The Asheville housing consortium rates the condition of the public housing units good to excellent. Over the past several years Asheville has gotten $23 million for modernization of its oldest developments. Additional resources are needed to continue renovations and to replace older appliances and systems with more cost-efficient ones and provide preventive maintenance.
Public housing authorities in six other jurisdictions in the consortium range from the Madison County Authority, which oversees 40 units, to the one in Hendersonville, which administers 388 units, for a total of 748 units. They also administer 792 Section 8 certificates and vouchers, and have a total waiting list of 1,170.
Builders and home owners seeking to build new housing or rehabilitate existing housing are confronted with a confusing, cumbersome, and often costly maze of bureaucratic permits and requirements. Water and sewer fee taps alone in Asheville could cost $1,255 for a new single family home up to 1,400 square feet in size. Asheville has in the planning phase a new unified development ordinance that will consolidate review of procedures and provide one document for establishing compliance with all land-use ordinances and regulations. The city is also revising its building and housing codes to impose strict penalties on landlords who do not keep their apartments in good repair.
The Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council investigates housing and employment complaints and mediates disputes whenever possible. The Council, with a budget of $155,400 and a $25,000 CDBG allocation, also conducts workshops designed to prevent housing and employment discrimination.
Noting that HUD set 1978 as the cut-off date for lead-based testing, the Consortium assumes that all housing units built before 1980 have a reasonable probability of containing some level of lead-based paint. Census data show that there are 97,618 housing units in the consortium's jurisdiction built before 1980. It estimates that 25 percent, or 24,404 of these units are occupied by low- to moderate-income families. Neighborhood Housing Services of Asheville, a nonprofit organization, is seeking funds for lead-based paint reduction.
Several nonprofit agencies provide supportive housing for nonhomeless households stemming from special needs, such as mental illness, mental retardation, physical disabilities, and AIDS.
In addition, the consortium found a need for 430 units for farmworker households and 243 bedrooms for sole farmworkers. Henderson County is experiencing a larger number of migrant families remaining in the area as full-time residents.
Community representatives participating in preparation of the plan identified few community development needs. Those designated for priority consideration were closely related to housing.
The Community Development Department of Asheville took the lead in developing the Consolidated Plan, gaining consensus on issues through forums and public meetings that explored viewpoints of representatives of all component units of the consortium.
Priorities of the consortium were determined at a meeting in Asheville at which attendees ranked needs in four categories: small, large, elderly rental, and owner households. High priority was given to each category under income levels that were less than 50 percent of median for both renters and owners. A medium priority was given to each category in the 51-80 percent of median income range for both renters and owners. A medium priority was given to each household type of renters with 51-80 percent of median and a high priority for owners in the 51-80 range. Among homeless needs, homeless families and persons with special needs received the highest priority, and homeless individuals received medium priority.
Over the past 5 years, resources and activities to address housing needs have grown at a fast rate. To further these efforts the consortium has embraced five objectives for the next 5 years.
Objective 1: Rehabilitation of elderly-household units. There are 35,492 elderly-occupied households in the region. Twelve percent of all elderly-occupied households in the region have incomes less than 50 percent of the area median. Rehabilitation has been given a high priority because of its potential for avoiding institutionalization. It is estimated that 120 elderly families in the region will benefit from rehabilitation of substandard housing units.
Objective 2: Rehabilitation of non-elderly, owner-occupied household units. There are 56,509 such households in the region. Among these households, most of the 63 percent earning less than 30 percent of median incomes are experiencing housing problems.
Objective 3: Rehabilitation of non-elderly, renter-occupied household units. There are 12,712 of these households in the region earning less than 80 percent of the median family income. These lower income groups, particularly those with incomes less than 50 percent of median, are at risk of becoming homeless. As this measure is carried out over the next 5 years, an estimated 120 families will benefit.
Objective 4: Rental assistance to very low-income renter households. In the region, three out of four renter households with incomes less than 50 percent of the median are paying more than 30 percent of their income toward housing costs. These candidates are at the greatest risk of becoming homeless or of living in a physically substandard housing unit. They are not good candidates for homeownership assistance.
Objective 5: Homeowners assistance for families with children. Assisting householders with incomes between 31 percent and 80 percent of median income, particularly single-parent households, would provide an avenue to break the poverty cycle by providing equity in home ownership. It is estimated that 80 families with children will benefit from home ownership assistance over 5 years.
Nonhousing community development priorities established in the planning process were:
During the process of applying for establishment of an Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community in Asheville, support emerged among a representative group of citizens for:
Nonprofit organizations use a variety of programs to assist lower-income homeowners in Asheville and Buncombe County and Henderson County. Asheville is developing a 17-acre tract into single-family, owner-occupied homes for families with incomes less than 80 percent of the area's median. Asheville also has a rehabilitation program to assist homeowners in the same income category. Repayments for the renovation are tailored to the assisted families' incomes.
Resources besides entitlement funds from CDBG, HOME, and Emergency Shelter Grants specified in this plan include a public housing comprehensive grant and such competitive Federal programs as HOPE I, II, and III; rental vouchers and certificates; rural homeless housing programs; and low-income housing tax credits. North Carolina Housing Finance Agency programs will also be used.
The Asheville Regional Housing Consortium plans to improve intergovernmental cooperation on housing issues by providing a forum for on-going discussions and by using the same public hearing and comment process it used in developing the Consolidated Plan. The institutional structure for providing affordable housing in Asheville involves public and private sectors. The city's housing authority has the most extensive experience in providing housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Nearly a dozen Asheville area nonprofit housing providers have recently formed the Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County, which maintains a staff of five. The coalition includes a group of homeless shelter providers. There are six other housing authorities within the region.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects. MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects. MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6. MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6. MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; as well as, provides a table with information about the project(s).The Asheville Regional Housing Consortium lists 16 projects to be carried out in its first-year action plan. Major projects for the year include:
Other programs will provide homeownership education, counseling for families facing eviction or foreclosure, educational and cultural events for young people living in public housing, and assistance for rehabilitation of commercial buildings.
