‘Lead Story’ Archives
Asheville Transit: Broken Promises of Improved Bus Service – Yet the Associated Fare Increase Happens Anyway; More Fare Increases to Come
Starting July 1st we get to pay $20 for a monthly bus pass, up from $15. This increase is part of the Transit Master Plan (TMP) approved by the city. According to the TMP, the first of the "gradual" rate increases was supposed to coincide with the implementation of specified bus service improvements. That fact is in bold italics in the [...]
A-Hope Again Threatens to Deny Services
Unfortunately, this is now my third article in this series (about problems with the person running A-Hope). There was a note on the door of A-Hope today that said if they continue to find cups around the property then they are going to stop providing coffee. I didn't see any garbage, and I rarely do. Once in a while someone leaves a [...]
A-Hope Maintains Policy Which Encourages the Homeless to Sleep in Downtown Asheville; Won’t Address Suggestion
It's unfortunate I have to write another article like this about A-Hope, when they provide the most services to homeless people in Asheville, and the staff there are usually friendly. (My other article here is titled "A-Hope in Need of New Direction" from 4-30-2010.) The names of the involved persons are omitted here for privacy [...]
A-Hope in Need of New Direction
Today the Director of A-Hope threatened to close tomorrow if people are not "nice" to the staff. She said the staff were there "because they want to be" and they "could make more money working somewhere else." I had been there around 40 minutes and hadn't noticed any problem. When I went downstairs right after that announcement I asked a [...]
A HOPE Expands Services, Reduces Hours
With hints and rumors floating since late January, major changes at Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Shelter in hours and policies were confirmed on Monday in a press release from the shelter’s director, Rev. Heather Spencer. Starting Monday, March 1st, A HOPE’s hours will be 7 am until noon, everyday—a reduction from its previous weekday [...]
“Prepared” for the weather say local shelters
Friday evening Asheville is expected to receive six to ten inches of snow according to the National Weather Service which has issued a severe Winter Storm Warning. During the last blast of winter weather, an emergency shelter was opened on Coxe Ave. to take care of any overflow during the consistently below freezing temperatures. However, this [...]
Stand Up and Be Counted! Asheville’s 2010 Point in Time Count
Our president, Moss Bills, recently posted to our yahoo!group board that Asheville's Point In Time Count of people experiencing homelessness in the area is scheduled for January 27th. But just what is the Point in Time Count, how is it accomplished, and what happens to the data gathered? To find out these answers I emailed Amy Sawyer, Coordinator [...]
