“It’s not going to be fun to point out how historically some things haven’t worked out so great and they have bad impact on business and the residents,” Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods president Rick Freeman told the audience at the Coalition of Independent Business Owners meeting April 5.
“Asheville has a very large number of homeless vets, and if you don’t believe this, just ask the VA or BeLoved Asheville and the rescue mission.”
According to the nonprofit Homeward Bound WNC, close to half of those experiencing homelessness in Buncombe County are veterans, a figure that also includes people benefiting from long-term transitional housing programs.
“I did get to pass on my thoughts about this and lobby again for homeless vets getting some of the spaces, especially in the RAD, which could be a large amount of housing.”
As a steady rain falls outside, Philip Caruso stands in the bedroom of his new apartment. “I don’t care [that it’s raining],” he says. “For the first time in decades, I’m not outside under a pine tree somewhere.” Caruso is a U.S. Marine veteran who saw combat in Beirut during the 1980s. His life was […]
“I’m glad to see community members raising questions about what we are doing to end veteran homelessness in Buncombe County. No one who has served our country should be left to live in a car, a camp or a shelter.”
“Women veterans the fastest-growing population of homeless in America,” says retired Staff Sergeant Alyce Knaflich. Yet there are not enough beds available for them in local shelters.
