A consultants’ report — released Jan. 23 and costing $73,000 — has been billed as providing clear, actionable strategies to address the burgeoning problem of homelessness in Asheville, but it has triggered lengthy and stinging criticism from Bailey Stockwell, an East Asheville neighborhood leader.

“I feel like the study is a reinforcement of what we’ve already done,” Stockwell told the Daily Planet during a telephone interview on Jan. 26 in which the newspaper sought her critique of the homelessness study.

At the end of the interview, she asserted, ““So I’m just saying that (despite the new study) I see this (homelessness problem) continuing. It’s going to happen in every neighborhood…. I see skyrocketing homelessness growth as a 100 percent certainly in Asheville” — now and in the future. 

Earlier in the interview, she said of the report, “I see this as getting a little more organized — and that’s great....”

However, overall, she said, “I’m disappointed and I’m not feeling optimistic” about working with “this consultant” to reach a satisfactory solution to the Asheville homelessness problem

“The best thing we’re getting out of this is getting the city (Asheville) and county (Buncombe) to work together. It took a consultant to say, ‘Hey, you need somebody in the (Buncombe) commissioners’” to be involved in the effort.

Regarding homelessness in Asheville, Stockwell said the city “only has $3 million that we spend per year.”

She added that “we had $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds last year (in 2022), but that money won’t be coming through this year….

“To me, this (the homelessness study) looks like a good push for funding to do the same things we’ve been doing ... that don’t work.

“It also includes a pilot program, which I see as a ‘low-barrier shelter’… Because of the disaster they experienced in putting up the one (low-barrier shelter) they did here,” she wondered why the report would tout such a ‘proveably’ bad program.”

(“A low-barrier shelter is a shelter where a minimum number of expectations or requirements are placed on the people who wish to stay there. Guests are typically allowed to stay while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and even to continue to engage in street activity or substance abuse. There is no requirement that they work toward sobriety or recovery. The philosophy behind low-barrier shelters centers on ‘harm reduction’ – minimizing the risks and consequences of certain behaviors, rather than prohibiting the behavior itself. The focus is survival – keeping people alive, especially in inclement weather and hazardous air conditions,” the website uniongospelmission.org noted.)

Also, Stockwell asserted, “I have an issue with their idea of how we deal with encampments. Are you kidding me?”

Concerning homeless encampments, she blamed Asheville’s “weak response,” wherein Stockwell said the APD “rarely gives anyone any citations” for breaking the law -by joining local encampments.

She added that the city’s “weak response” is due to “the Kim Roneys, the Jasmine Beach-Fererras and the BeLoved Ashevilles” groups. (Roney is a far left member of Asheville City Council. Beach-Ferrara is a far left member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. BeLoved Asheville, founded by the Rev. Amy Cantrell, bills itself as “a nonprofit that helps those living on the fringes of society,” but is widely considered a leftist-leaning group.)

Continuing, Stockwell said, “Now (in the study), the consultants are suggesting the outreach workers visit the encampments — without police officers. 

“Who the hell would want to do that?

“Also, why was it not mentioned (in the study) that we only have five community paramedics? Why would you want to make any move that doesn’t increase safety, versus decreasing” safety? she asked, rhetorically. 

“The ‘Rapid Re-Housing’ beds that they needed… Guess what they’re not including? The friggin’ Ramada Inn and and Days Inn that come online soon. It’s a manipulation....”

(“Rapid Re-Housing is a model that recognizes some homeless individuals and families need only limited financial assistance and services in order to regain housing and stability. RRH allows for quick re-entry into housing paired with services to enable housing stability. The longer a person is homeless, the greater the economic, social and physical impact. RRH is a a housing first model that protects people from the devastating impacts of long-term homelessness. RRH financial assistance may include: rental arrears, application fees, security deposits, last month’s rent, utility deposits, moving costs, and rental assistance up to 24 months. RRH services may include: housing search/placement, housing stability case management, mediation, legal services, and budgeting/money management. The National Alliance to End Homelessness identifies three core components of RRH programs: housing identification, financial rental and move-in assistance, and case management and services,” according to the website www.ncceh.org)

 Stockwell added, “The plan is to just ‘build out’ of the problem. Look at how many unsheltered we got off the street?

“What they’re touting in the consultancy is the housing-first approach — no rules, versus a housing-earned approach, where you earn your way up the ladder.

“It looks to me that this ‘housing-first’ approach at the Ramada was a friggin’ reaction” move, versus a well-thought-out approach, said Stockwell, who noted that she is well-aware of the homelessness situation through her job with River Ridge Shopping Center’s owner.

Instead of the consultants’ suggested approach in the study, Stockwell said, “I feel like we need to go back to letting people hit rock bottom before … If you do intervene, you should do it with methodology…. “

In concluding the interview, Stockwell said, she especially is concerned about “the new stuff” that city leaders are discussing, including sanctuary camping and low-barrier housing.

(“Cities across the country have explored different models to create legal camping space for unhoused populations — sometimes called ‘sanctuary camping,’ it’s also known as designated or managed camping,” the Asheville Citizen Times recently explained in a news story on homelessness.)