Ashe County Housing Advisory Board gains momentum and support

ASHE COUNTY — Down Home North Carolina’s Ashe County Chapter is launching Affordable and Safe Housing for Everyone (ASHE)-- a campaign to address housing problems facing county residents and landlords, such as rising costs, limited availability, and substandard housing conditions. To advance the campaign goals, the group is recommending the creation of a county advisory board.

Dolly Reaves, the organizer of the group, said, “with rising rent and home prices, and issues of substandard housing compounding the crisis, the creation of a housing advisory board would bring local experts and residents together to look for creative ways to provide Ashe residents with safe and affordable homes.”

Members of Down Home North Carolina are urging elected officials to create a county Housing Advisory Board to inform and advise local officials about housing issues and potential solutions in Ashe County.

Several North Carolina counties and municipalities have similar boards. In addition to the board, members are asking commissioners to create a low-income housing repair fund to help working people address major issues in their homes.

To help the County focus on the housing crisis, Down Home members have been canvassing local Ashe County residents for nearly two years to hear about the issues impacting our communities. Dolly said, “housing has remained the top concern each year.” One local resident told a canvasser they are “so glad to know that someone cares” about the housing issue. Down Home members believe that an Advisory Board will support elected officials and help them with the needs and concerns of the poor and working people that call Ashe County home.

Sally Kinka reported that “during a meeting with several Down Home members, Commissioner Todd McNeill told us he was ‘committed to doing something’ in regard to the local housing crisis.” She added, “we think this is a hopeful sign.”

Many agree there is a lack of affordable and safe housing in the county. Dolly Reaves summed up the group’s goal, “Down Home members are determined to find solutions. We will continue to work with the commissioners to ensure affordable and safe housing for everyone.”

Ashe Down Home members organize and seek solutions for issues that matter to poor and working-class people in Ashe County. They meet every second Tuesday of the month from 6-8 p.m.

For more information and to learn how to get involved, email Dolly Reaves at dolly@downhomenc.org.