Land-of-Sky gets rural, housing-related grant

Land-of-Sky Regional Council of Asheville received a grant of $50,700 from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Community Development Initiative Program, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) announced today. The grant money is dedicated to providing Land-of-Sky resources to help train and bolster the work of local organizations that offer housing support to those in need. The grant will allow Land-of-Sky to provide training and technical aid such as financial planning, strategic planning, and sustainability.

“Regional Councils such as Land-of-Sky are critical to the economic growth and success of our local communities.  Our mountain communities are better because of the work they do. I applaud Land-of-Sky for tackling tough issues in our region, such as housing,” said Congressman Shuler. “Only 31 of these grants were awarded, and to only 18 states. I am proud that one of these valuable and sought-after grant awards is coming to Western North Carolina.”

“These funds support USDA’s partnership with rural America to bring increased economic opportunity to rural citizens and communities,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said. “They will serve as investments that will help organizations build the capacity and expertise of local nonprofit groups.”

“From first review of the USDA – RCDI grant program, we recognized that it was a perfect fit for the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium and Land-of-Sky area,” said Asheville Regional Housing Consortium Vice Chair, Mark Burrows. “This project will assist our smaller, more rural affordable housing non-profits better meet their community’s needs by providing strong technical assistance focused around organization development, project management and capacity building for workforce housing.”

Land-of-Sky is one of 17 regional councils in North Carolina.  It serves Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties with a mission to:  “work with local governments, the Region’s leadership, state and federal agencies, service providers, and volunteers to foster desirable social, economic, cultural and ecological conditions in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties.”

USDA Rural Development oversees and directs more than 40 housing, business, infrastructure and facilities programs intended to advance the economic stability of rural communities.  Rural Development has a current commitment of more than $127 billion in loan guarantees and loans. 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.