City of Hendersonville hosting Affordable Housing Summit

Affordable housing is a major concern in Hendersonville, and the city is looking to make it a high priority for future endeavors.

City leaders have organized an Affordable Housing Summit, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 16 at the Hendersonville High School Auditorium at 1 Bearcat Blvd. This is a free event, with many guest speakers scheduled, highlighted by the keynote speaker, Shane Phillips.

According to a news release, Phillips is the manager of the Housing Initiative at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and is the author of "The Affordable City."

Attendees will get to engage with local panelists representing various organizations dedicated to expanding housing opportunities in the region, the release said. Panelists include Sarah Grymes, vice president of Housing at the Dogwood Health Trust; Lew Holloway, community development director for the city of Hendersonville; Angela Beeker, city attorney for the city of Hendersonville and Christopher Todd, business and community development director for Henderson County.

There is space for just over 800 attendees in the Hendersonville High School auditorium. The summit is open to non-profit service providers, members of the business community, government leaders, affordable housing advocates, community members and anyone committed to expanding and improving housing in Henderson County and across the WNC region, the release said.

In addition to the informative sessions, a resource center will be available for non-profits and service providers to share information and connect with attendees. Interpretation services will be provided in partnership with True Ridge and Henderson County Public Schools.

Parking is available on-street and in Hendersonville High School parking lots. Additional overflow parking is available at nearby Bruce Drysdale Elementary School.

The Affordable Housing Summit is made possible through the collaboration of the City of Hendersonville, Dogwood Health Trust, Hendersonville High School, Henderson County and True Ridge. For more details, including bios of Shane Phillips and the local panelists, visit www.hvlnc.gov/housingplan .

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: City of Hendersonville hosting Affordable Housing Summit