[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6542862,"mediaKeyId","3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a","parentId",3804518,"title","Justice Resource Center work group advances outreach, court appearance resources and reentry data review","audioSeconds",420,"startMs",2916000,"endMs",3336000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a&start=2916&end=3336","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a/thumbnail_2916000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6542862/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Justice-Resource-Center-work-group-advances-outreach-court-appearance-resources-and-reentry-data-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542862-3d7dcf9a24115e5dcc31a177b85b98f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168629&Signature=jbnfmqnCMA-ZdnWM0AG6-ipiTh-YKurZ-bWkZ29BhJ0Ry1zRvshzJbsyVDBZBcflmyzLxN5t28ES9w3kPEUdZQ9jvoFkKcYXDpVCpFsphEgrJAplNszMB~b3z0eTpzHSQ0DYebN7usoY1pWUmYnhVQ8K~7KtZ6jy35pum5A6NgWmsOR3gEaX6LPtOZWyqDoeWfV9QPXerpzuOPTuXAIHe06isZ0AaA51sysCT~NiE~i45Oa~N3tLzVB7kngRt~-MrRz0tEyVGdkCv4sMmpq3bl3ov3grVoK0J27vUqcjoWc53HEHvNNbLyfjDvoK3mVvOiH5Z7UvXPzsjABfxHl8hg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Buncombe County, NC","date","2025-06-07T05:44:39Z","article","Brett Bailey, staff support for the community engagement work group, updated the meeting on several outreach and data initiatives aimed at improving reentry outcomes and connecting people leaving detention to services.

Why it matters: the work group’s outreach and data analysis target recidivism drivers—housing, language access, and time‑sensitive connections to services—and may inform changes to how information is provided to people while detained and after release.

Bailey said the group is scheduling listening sessions with people recently released from the detention center to learn when and how to introduce resource information so the information is usable. The group is also reviewing JRC (Justice Resource Center) and jail data to identify trends tied to recidivism and barriers such as housing instability. Bailey noted an observation that people of Hispanic/Latino descent appear in jail records but are underrepresented at the JRC, prompting steps to make materials available in Spanish and explore access barriers.

The group heard a presentation from Diana Pyle (Raleigh) about Wake County’s court advocacy program, which places community volunteers in courts to help people navigate hearings and administrative issues; community members asked whether a similar model could be piloted locally. Judges cautioned about unauthorized practice of law and said any volunteer court assistance should be carefully designed and coordinated with the courts and attorneys.

Bailey and others discussed Just Home planning and the county’s role in supporting transitions from prison, noting local transitional housing, state prison reentry initiatives and available subsidy investments as complementary resources. The work group also plans to review the Administrative Office of the Courts’ statewide Court Appearance Project report and consider inviting Eric Jackson (who chairs the group’s input and analysis subcommittee) to present findings and recommendations to the JRAC.

Ending: the work group will continue outreach sessions, expand language access of materials, coordinate with court and justice partners on any advocacy pilots, and integrate existing data reviews into the Just Home planning process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Justice Resource Advisory Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Buncombe County’s community engagement work group reported outreach plans to gather input from people recently detained, reviewed jail and JRC data for trends tied to housing and recidivism, and discussed the AOC statewide court appearance project as a model for local court advocacy support.","taxTitle","Buncombe County, North Carolina","taxId",3914,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6542866,"Buncombe County awarded Just Home grant to plan housing for justice‑involved residents",662,2263000,2925000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a&start=2263&end=2925","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a/thumbnail_2263000.jpg","/articles/6542866/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Buncombe-County-awarded-Just-Home-grant-to-plan-housing-for-justiceinvolved-residents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542866-35455823d5fa44d75790bb0890e7e2d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168629&Signature=UeL9eEUFUqN63ic6w5BYdOjDSSqoFvJyBdolWZfkTUMJCwxO3~4TewrSm1KPkJGDIZqsheFGWyNDcHH2bcJcY4TDiEqkQhScYHW98DE72KJrL-aiaOCUle7UHN3MP4uJpQOe1mq-FbB22rzHtpmxyJj3FXJP1RN4Z9i-4Ydy7Khda15LVL1K8iDjEEkibKNMDM2QknrxBPbx9sMahfUqcQHXgOQZsFOblvlfAOZk2jkQz5jvcbMZuJ0K~VGmN0j0MFJkRGnT9KbL7dTj03ecWEioVEtqSmKQj1gXJs~XwRX~Hx~06arYo6wXjwoBIMnFiC44OI8MNNprEUO-lQc1uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assistant County Manager Miss Tate announced that Buncombe County has received a Just Home grant intended to support housing solutions for justice‑involved individuals. The award includes planning funds and a capital financing option the county may use to develop housing targeted to populations identified during the planning process.

Why it matters: the grant could support new or rehabilitated affordable housing and related services for people leaving prison, people involved with juvenile justice, or other justice‑involved groups — populations county leaders identified as having acute housing needs that intersect with other systems.

Tate said the grant provides several hundred thousand dollars for a planning period beginning in July and expected to run through December; that planning period will engage stakeholders and people with lived experience to define which subpopulation(s) to serve, the number and type of units needed, and wrap‑around services. The grant also includes capital financing in the form of a program‑related investment (PRI): a loan product of up to $5,000,000, with a 10‑year term at 2% interest, available to support development identified in the planning phase.

County commissioners and meeting participants discussed potential target populations and implementation approaches. Examples cited from other jurisdictions included focusing on juveniles in one jurisdiction; other local options could include new construction, multifamily rehabs, or scattered site approaches. Tate and others emphasized the planning process should identify the target population (for example, juveniles, women, people exiting prison, or families involved with Department of Social Services), the number of units needed, and what supportive services would be required once households move into housing.

Tate noted the county faced post‑storm delays that left it behind other jurisdictions in the grant timeline but that the grant administrators made concessions to help Buncombe catch up. Commissioners and participants flagged related local resources: a state push on prison reentry, county transitional housing sites, and an existing pipeline of units and subsidies (including a reported roughly $2 million for housing subsidies mentioned in the discussion) as potential complements to the Just Home planning.

Ending: Tate asked stakeholders to prepare to participate in July–December planning, to surface existing data for the county’s data review, and to consider which populations and housing models would best meet local needs. County staff said they would coordinate data collection and engagement, including involving state agencies where required for juvenile or licensed housing models.","Buncombe County staff said the county received a Just Home grant that funds a July–December planning phase and offers up to $5 million in program‑related investment (PRI) loans at 2% for qualifying housing projects serving justice‑involved people.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6542871,"Buncombe County pretrial services resumes intake after 90‑day pause; new policies and risk assessments introduced",707,1702000,2409000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a&start=1702&end=2409","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a/thumbnail_1702000.jpg","/articles/6542871/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Buncombe-County-pretrial-services-resumes-intake-after-90day-pause-new-policies-and-risk-assessments-introduced","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542871-b6892d463b8590fba9e0a0d22b0e8af8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168629&Signature=A1hei0aLQL0JTiRm6CBbkb~SdQKIpS52Ri-pl81WPiCp8LuJ80z7hw5Vci2bGNl7AZzeA-mG0hZC~ss2U~ZswuNVaawpJWEOqSIaogdsEKArvI0WM2Y81xtaCMMyroAdsPRi52yRmL9aYB4HopBEDfrcJZeQQJ94d6e2oWnyQPRxcxnVmfGleYL-ToLY~S1BjAB73uNK8-gj0eo6dsrdOnayNeaDOBi0F0t70nCkM9VDD7kX1Wh5g~lD-uhohau5ax7jZ6f2aCh0u0wpyQ~tVJetkUGoVVS8e3QfNFWj~2N0SjwucDAR3Y4gOefnpNHsisiv1RMe0mfqZ3B1fzlyhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Miss Herring (Justice Services leadership) told the group the county paused accepting new pretrial cases to review operations, address staffing shortages and implement tighter policies; existing program participants continued to be served during the pause.

Why it matters: Pretrial services provide judges with information to inform release decisions and supervision; changes to the program affect court operations, public safety assessments and case management for people awaiting adjudication.

Herring said she began a program review after starting in the department late last year, noting newer managers and a lack of operational leadership when she arrived. She recommended a temporary pause on new cases to resolve capacity and policy issues. The pause lasted roughly 90 days; the program has now resumed new intakes.

As part of the restart, Herring said pretrial staff will provide judges with a pretrial services assessment (PSA) or risk assessment and a background check for every individual appearing, even if the person is not enrolled in direct supervision. The office is training staff at a national level to permit access to broader criminal history information, including national records, which Herring called important for judges’ decision‑making. Electronic monitoring had been used broadly before the pause but was curtailed due to staffing limits; some monitoring continues through external services (identified in the meeting as a criminal justice information network used for high‑risk domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking cases).

Herring said the department will not try to supervise people located far outside the region; supervision will focus on Buncombe County and adjoining counties (roughly six or seven neighboring counties), though courtesy supervision arrangements may continue for jurisdictions that already have pretrial programs. She also said the department has implemented new policies and procedures and provided staff training during the pause.

Participants asked about bond policy work. Judge Scott and other judges said state statute requires the senior resident judge to create a bond policy that the chief district judge reviews; meeting comments indicated a prior draft addendum had recognized pretrial but a full revised bond policy had not been finalized. Herring and judges said the reformed pretrial approach would be incorporated by reference in any new bond policy.

Ending: Herring said program materials and policies will be posted to the department website and provided to commissioners and judges. She described the restart as a collaborative effort with the courts and thanked staff for implementing changes during a challenging period.","County staff reported pretrial services paused new intakes for a staffing and program review and have resumed after about 90 days. The program will supply pretrial risk assessments to judges and tighten protocols, with national training for staff and limits on geographic supervision.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6542876,"Buncombe County officials report slight rise in homelessness, highlight FEMA sheltering impact",665,299000,964000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a&start=299&end=964","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3804518-756804211cb23b3cdafa9413ca97e49a/thumbnail_299000.jpg","/articles/6542876/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Buncombe-County-officials-report-slight-rise-in-homelessness-highlight-FEMA-sheltering-impact","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6542876-50077c9a4661554c2ef9e0de644ee3ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168629&Signature=h6mdlG7JM~nLxodS2-hULDee6NDGxmDvr9SUI~kVZHnYAhU9I9FXnbo6PKQs0R-W2KkF6MG7ZXlwIHObPYPUnyq0F3mGkhIZuGTsodMtQJlg9z0hTA7bgJZ7-zIoTL8ESXSoz4DVu2-r5FJaCCvmrIfyBU4dnpUVxnGNIXokkkR~aTntuCet6rdiIpBTf5uPoyvCUGaiWFEyGquCKz7qhfqOA7LVOkypWxjjeAcYrUn03qbdm59lpAOSV5tIP8lU105sAql3d98AAc9twI~dlXIayvjErEj20JOzqsoyijOmVGTqJp9zbjOcMVCCVQ~Lt87Wql2UdyHof6y5STPHAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lacey Hoyle, Buncombe County homelessness program manager, presented the county’s 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) count results, reporting increases in unsheltered individuals and describing how FEMA temporary sheltering assistance affected the final continuum tally.

The PIT count is a one‑night census of people who meet HUD’s federal definition of literal homelessness (emergency shelter, transitional housing, or unsheltered). This year’s evening count occurred Jan. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m., with an additional daytime count used to reach encampments and service sites, Hoyle said. The county deployed 135 volunteers for the count.

Why it matters: the PIT count informs local Continuum of Care (CoC) planning and funding priorities and helps planners estimate shelter needs, service gaps and populations that are disproportionately impacted.

Key findings Hoyle highlighted include: 270 people were in emergency shelter on the night counted (the same raw number recorded in 2024), transitional housing beds showed 93 fewer people after the Veterans Restoration Quarters facility was damaged and operated at a smaller alternate site, and the unsheltered count rose by 109 to 328 individuals. Hoyle said 116 of those counted as unsheltered reported becoming unsheltered as a result of Tropical Storm Helene.

Hoyle also explained that HUD procedures require counting people in FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) hotels when placements are paid for by an agency or organization. The county obtained aggregate FEMA data showing 1,548 individuals staying in TSA hotels on the PIT night. HUD‑reported totals for the Buncombe County CoC therefore included those TSA placements, producing a reported total of 2,303 individuals experiencing homelessness for HUD submission. Hoyle cautioned that the HUD total does not mean 2,300 people were unsheltered on the street; many TSA placements were storm‑related and most exited TSA into transitional or permanent housing, she said.

Hoyle reviewed demographic patterns from the CoC’s de‑duplicated surveys (excluding the TSA hotel extrapolation used only for the HUD total). The county continues to see disparities: Black or African American people represented 17.6% of PIT respondents while representing about 6% of county population; people identifying as American Indian/Alaska Native comprised 2.1% of the PIT respondents though roughly 0.6% of county population. Men were overrepresented in the PIT respondents (65.8%) compared with the county population (48.2%), consistent with national PIT trends, Hoyle said. She also noted increases in self‑reported chronic homelessness, serious mental illness, and substance use disorder among respondents.

Geographically, Hoyle said about 94% of PIT respondents were within Asheville city limits; she noted increases in responses from Swannanoa and Barnardsville, which may reflect both storm impacts and improved outreach and volunteer rapport in those routes. She also said no surveys were collected in parts of West Buncombe (Candler/Lester) despite known needs there; nonresponse and the voluntary nature of surveys likely affect coverage.

Audience questions raised methodology and data‑availability issues: county staff said the city of Asheville’s Homeless Strategy Division, as the CoC lead agency, manages HMIS deduplication and HUD submission and can provide further detail about response and utilization rates. Hoyle offered to follow up with additional data on volunteer contact rates, FEMA TSA exit outcomes and bed utilization statistics.

Ending: Hoyle closed by noting the PIT is a snapshot with known limitations but remains a central planning tool for the CoC and local service providers. County and city staff will continue to share supplementary utilization and FEMA transition data with stakeholders to guide shelter planning and system responses.","Buncombe County presented results from its 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) count: total unsheltered individuals rose to 328, transitional housing decreased after a facility loss, and FEMA temporary sheltering assistance (TSA) placements added 1,548 people to the continuum total reported to HUD.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Justice Resource Center work group advances outreach, court appearance resources and reentry data review

Buncombe County awarded Just Home grant to plan housing for justice‑involved residents

Buncombe County pretrial services resumes intake after 90‑day pause; new policies and risk assessments introduced

Buncombe County officials report slight rise in homelessness, highlight FEMA sheltering impact