Today, Down Home Ashe County took a stand for building and repairing working-class housing in the High Country to repair damage from Hurricane Helene.
At a public comment session before the High Country Council of Governments in Boone, Down Home members wearing their signature blue shirts voiced their support for policies that ensure working families, seniors, and young professionals can find and maintain stable housing.
“We believe that safe, affordable housing is a basic right,” said Joan Baker, a spokesperson for Down Home Ashe County. She continued, “The hurricane devastated our mountain communities, some of which were already in need of assistance. We’re here to make sure our leaders serve the neediest families first.”
In January, the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) January announced that the State of NC will receive over 1.4 billion dollars to support long – term recovery efforts after Helene. The State released its proposed action plan for distributing the funds on February 18. In response, Down Home gathered community leaders and local residents to learn about the proposal and share their views in today’s public comment session.
Down Home’s Ashe County chapter lead an effort to establish a low-income housing repair fund for Ashe County to address systemic problems which existed even before the storm. The project continues.
The Public Comment Period will continue until March 18, when HUD will review the proposal.
For Information about how to get involved with this or other community projects, contact Down Home Ashe County through the local organizer Dolly Reaves at dolly@downhomenc.org
About Down Home North Carolina
Down Home North Carolina builds multiracial power with working people in the small-town and rural places in our state. Down Home members, including the ones in Ashe County, organize around the issues that they identify as most pressing in their communities and work to elect working-class representation. By organizing together, we can shape a democracy that serves working and poor people, where our labor and families are valued, and where our food, water, land, and communities are healthy. www.downhomenc.org