|
From Staff Reports
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville announced 34 layoffs on April 7 — a cut affecting 21 percent of its workforce—primarily to address a $500,000 budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.
The layoffs include employees across multiple departments “as roles are consolidated and certain functions are restructured,” an HACA news releasestated.
The layoffs are expected to lower annual operating costs by about $1.6 million.
The layoffs are being carried out over the coming weeks, the authority said via email on April 8, in responses to questions from the Asheville Citizen Times that were provided by HACA spokesman Kyle Parks and attributed to Chief Operating Officer Marvin Jean Jacques.
The restructuring includes several key changes and reasons for the job cuts, incluing the following:
• Financial shortfall: The agency is facing a projected $500,000 deficit and aims to lower its annual operating costs by approximately $1.6 million through the reductions.
• Dissolution of non-core programs: HACA is ending its “PODS” program, which was created during the pandemic to support students’ education. Officials stated that while the program was valuable, it is not part of HACA’s core housing mission and lacked sustainable long-term funding.
• Organizational restructuring: The layoffs span multiple departments as the authority consolidates roles and restructures internal functions.
• Operational efficiency: Following the reduction, the authority’s staff will decrease from 156 to 122 employees to streamline operations.
Also, the HACA has expressed a commitment to working with community partners to minimize disruptions for residents who were supported by the phased-out programs.
“Asheville City Schools spokeswoman Marilee Woodard said April 8 that the district’s involvement with the program was strictly during COVID, when students were not attending school face-to-face. Once students returned to in-person learning, its connection to the program ended, she said,” the ACT noted.
|
