Asheville considers 11 bids for homelessness consultant, HIAC forms Code Purple work group

ASHEVILLE - As both East Asheville's Ramada Inn and Code Purple shelter options come to an end, the city is taking next steps in its search for a homeless services consultant, and is considering 11 applicants for the position.

Emily Ball, the city's homeless services system performance lead, gave an update on the consultant search, the Ramada Inn closure and Code Purple at the March 25 Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee meeting.

On Feb. 14, the city of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County, released a request for proposals to hire a consultant who will conduct a comprehensive analysis of unsheltered homelessness and develop recommendations.

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The request for proposals closed March 18, and Ball said the city has received 11 applications.

A three-way collaboration, the consultant's work will be funded by Dogwood Health Trust. The city will be the administrative and contracting point of contact.

A committee made up of staff from each organization will be responsible for selecting the consultant. Ball anticipates the committee will recommend a consultant in early May.

"Our group feels really positive about that number and about the quality of firms who responded to that opportunity," Ball said. "(There's) a lot of expertise in the mix."

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While selection is ongoing, Ball said she cannot share more about the applicants. She said budget and timeline vary for each proposal, and Dogwood has not set a budget for the project.

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She can't remember a time where the city or community at large have undertaken this type of consultancy to address homelessness in Asheville — a crisis escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ball said, and only growing in "intensity and complexity."

City staff anticipate a rise in the numbers of unsheltered individuals in January's Point in Time count, data that will be released in late April.

The 2021 Point in Time count identified 527 people experiencing homelessness in Asheville, 116 of which were unsheltered.

Ball said it is vital to have a partner like Dogwood at the table, and the consultancy search will help to bring a "high level of expertise" to the work happening across the region.

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The RFP outlined a two-phase process, beginning with a needs assessment and ultimately producing a solution definition and feasibility study.

HIAC approves Code Purple work group

At its March 25 meeting, HIAC approved the formation of a Code Purple work group, members of which will work with staff and other community stakeholders, like the Winter Shelter Steering Committee, to better prepare for next year's Code Purple calls.

At the onset of the winter, as temperatures dipped, there was a scramble to secure Code Purple options, and Committee chair Sara Coplai said she wants to improve the scheduling of these accommodations and get started early on that work.

Ball said she was excited to see the group step up to take this on.

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“We need capacity in our community, and we need people to do the work,” she said, and HIAC will be a "good home" for some of that community leadership and engagement.

Weather warms, impending loss of emergency shelter

As weather warms, Code Purple shelter options — called when temperatures drop below 32 degrees — will end the night of March 31, ultimately decreasing the city's shelter capacity.

It's an issue exacerbated by the upcoming Ramada Inn deadline, and Ball said the city and its partners are working with "laser focus" to rehouse the remaining 44 residents.

The hotel has functioned as a non-congregate shelter since April, but a December reversal by the city has led instead to the property being repurposed for permanent supportive housing by two California-based companies.

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Shangri-La Industries, one of the companies and a for-profit developer, will likely finalize its acquisition of the property by March 31.

Through the duration of the shelter's operation, Ball said 116 people have been housed at the Ramada, and staff have worked hard to connect residents with solutions while facing its impending closure.

"This is just like a microcosm of what should be happening, what is happening, at any program across the community,” Ball said.

A number of residents have moved into permanent housing options through organizations like Homeward Bound and Helpmate, or were reconnected with friends and family.

"It is certainly true that some folks will return to unsheltered homelessness after the 31st," Ball said, but the city and shelter staff are working to ensure it is as few people as possible.

Also on March 31, two of Asheville's winter shelter options, Trinity United Methodist Church and ABCCM Costello House will no longer be available for emergency shelter.

Rather than only operating on Code Purple nights they have been open as a winter shelter option nightly.

Ball said conversations are happening across the community as advocates and service providers work to find short-term solutions and housing for those threatened with a return to unsheltered homelessness.

Trinity began operating as a winter shelter for the first time this year, and one organizer, Melanie Robertson, called it “the most exciting and exhausting thing I’ve ever done."

"It has changed my life, it has been transformative for both guests, volunteers and staff," she said. "We have become a family.”

Like Ball, Robertson said she and other Trinity staff have been determined to find housing options for shelter residents, spending long hours on the phone with area hotels, Airbnbs and shelters.

Related: West Asheville Trinity United Methodist newest Code Purple homeless shelter

Shelter options are limited in the city, with barriers to access for many unhoused individuals — such as pets, lack of an ID, vaccination status or jobs that prohibit them from meeting shelter curfews.

“There are still challenges,” Robertson said, but this is work Trinity plans to continue. "We don't want momentum to stop."

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville considers 11 applications for homeless services consultant