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Homeward Bound plans to buy hotel to house homeless in WNC
ASHEVILLE - A local nonprofit that works with the homeless population in Western North Carolina has settled on what it hopes will be a more permanent solution to ending homelessness, at least for 85 people buying a hotel and converting it to apartments.
Homeward Bound Executive Director Meredith Switzer said Feb. 3 her organization is in contract to purchase the Days Inn motel property located on Tunnel Road in Asheville. After years of studying our community need and operating a small permanent supportive housing residence, Homeward Bound has a housing solution that will provide stability, safety, and improved quality of life for 85 of our community’s most vulnerable homeless neighbors, Switzer said in a statement. We are calling it Home is Key.
By Staci Inez Mountain
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. As western North Carolina braced for winter weather, some shelters went into Code Purple to help take people in off the street.
“The people I deal with are really good people, just on hard times,” Eddie Buckley said.
He works with the Western Carolina Rescue Ministries and helps check people into shelters.
“I personally believe that the homeless are just as important as anybody else,” Buckley said.
The shelter run by the rescue ministries at First Congregational United Church of Christ made room for 50 people to avoid the snow and freezing temperatures.
Nonprofit gets comfy donation that will go a long way toward helping others
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) Western Carolina Rescue Ministries took delivery of a truckload of used furniture from the local La-Z-Boy Gallery store.
The company takes gently used furniture as trade-ins, giving vouchers to customers who are buying new chairs and sofas.
“We’re proud of our customers who give up, quite frankly, some very good furniture knowing that it’s going to a cause to help others,” La-Z-Boy Gallery’s John Miller said.
The donated furniture will be sold at the Western North Carolina Rescue Ministries’ two thrift stores. Some of it will also go to people the rescue ministries helped transition out of being homeless.