Everyone in Asheville deserves to be safe.
A narrow lens of public safety means the City of Asheville often isn’t sending the right person with the right tools and training to address homelessness, opioid poisoning, behavioral health, intimate partner violence and gun violence.
Our APD vacancy rate presents both an obligation and opportunity to add alternative responses, but the crises we’re facing worsen when we create new problems by criminalizing poverty.
We deserve better.
Sending The Right Responder and Tools
Buncombe County has grown its Community Paramedicine program, employing a peer support specialist and clinicians uniquely positioned to connect people with behavioral health care and substance use treatment.
Asheville is currently opting for a separate Community Responder program, deploying firefighters who offer resources, build relationships and collect data, but when their tools are exhausted they have limited options, because we haven’t yet invested in a holistic system of response.
A Path Towards Community Safety
Like core services of sanitation and water, investing in community safety must be a priority. Here are some steps the City of Asheville can take:
- Bring the HEART program to Asheville: Follow Durham (and now Fayetville) in setting up an Office of Community Safety with a director that reports to the city manager and manages a HEART program for Asheville; ensure accurate 911 dispatch with follow-up to ensure crises are addressed; and link co-responders with behavioral health clinicians.
- Partner to expand community paramedicine: Contract with Buncombe County, requesting a dedicated 24-7 unit starting with downtown. Partnering under the leadership of the County instead of duplicating services is both logistically and fiscally responsible as the county holds the role of Health & Human Services.
- Reduce homelessness: Maintain momentum towards the 112 strategies identified in the National Alliance to End Homelessness report to reduce homelessness in Asheville by 50%.
- Activate Violence Interrupter Programming: Engage Community Health Workers organizing diversion/reentry programming and to prevent gun violence and intimate partner violence, facilitating healing for residents, families and their communities
- Maintain Strategic Partnership Funds currently being cut from this year’s budget for youth mentorship programming because our kids matter to us and we’re invested in a hopeful future.
- Bolster climate and neighborhood resiliency: Implement neighborhood plans and align Neighborhood Grants with our Climate Justice Initiative, including tree canopy restoration, flood mitigation, and food security.
- Regain our Living Wage Certification: Community safety means first responders live in the communities they serve. Prioritize living wages for retention and recruitment so staff can afford housing and provide quality, equitable service outcomes.
A Budget Advancing Community Safety
Due to Helene-related revenue losses, Council is faced with tough decisions. Our caring community can meet this moment if the community demands it. I invite friends & neighbors to reach out to the City Council during the budget cycle:
- Don’t cut neighborhood grants or strategic partnership funds for youth programming;
- Secure Community Responder funding; and
- Remind we still need a Community Safety Department and a H.E.A.R.T. because serious behavioral health crises require behavioral health specialists!
As always, you can contact the full Council at: ashevilleNCcouncil@ashevilleNC.gov