Press release from City of Asheville:
The City of Asheville invites the public to a meeting about permanent supportive housing at the Ramada. The meeting will take place virtually from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, December 8.
On December 3, the City of Asheville announced that it is no longer moving forward with creating an emergency homeless shelter at the Ramada, 148 River Ford Parkway in East Asheville. However, a potential alternative use has been identified: permanent supportive housing.
Permanent supportive housing means affordable housing combined with the types of services that help people stay in housing, such as connections with health care, substance use treatment, and employment. This is key to help people who are coming out of homelessness transition into housing in a safe and sustainable way.
At this meeting, the City will introduce its nonprofit operational partner, Step Up on Second Street Inc., which seeks to implement permanent supportive housing at the Ramada location. Step Up Inc. partners with Shangri-La Industries Inc., a real estate developer that purchases hotels to convert them to permanent supportive housing. This partnership intends to create 50+ units of housing for homeless veterans and 50+ units of housing for chronically homeless individuals at the Ramada.
The meeting will be in two parts. The first will include an informational presentation on what permanent supportive housing is and how permanent supportive housing will be implemented at the Ramada. The second portion will consist of a Q&A. Participants may submit questions or comments in advance on the City’s Virtual Engagement Hub. They can also call in to ask questions or submit comments by dialing 855-925-2801 and entering the meeting code 4928.
To participate in the meeting: Visit this link on the City’s Virtual Engagement Hub to participate in the meeting. It will also be streamed in the City’s YouTube channel. People can email questions in advance to avlendinghomelessness@PublicInput.com.
If the City Council votes to approve at their 5 p.m. December 14 meeting, the City will fund approximately $1.5 million in supportive services to support housing at the Ramada. The $1.5 million would come from an allocation of the City’s American Rescue Plan Act funding.
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