BeLoved buys Swannanoa property for new, affordable ‘village’

ASHEVILLE – Non-profit organization BeLoved Asheville has purchased an 8-acre property in Swannanoa and plans to build a new “village” of highly affordable homes. It will replicate ongoing work at the East Asheville property, where 12 tiny homes await the final steps.

It’s their response to Asheville’s housing crisis, which co-director Amy Cantrell said was “significantly exacerbated” by Tropical Storm Helene. In September, the storm devastated areas of western North Carolina. Thousands are still displaced, some living in mobile homes, hotel rooms and trailers.

According to Helene, BeLoved, among other things, funded extended hotel stays as FEMA deadlines approached, delivered dozens of tiny houses that served as emergency shelters, and built and repaired homes damaged by the storm.

Buncombe County reported in December that 9,234 housing units in the county were damaged. An estimated 73,700 homes were damaged across the state – with single-family, manufactured and semi-detached homes making up the majority of affected structures, according to a revised Dec. 13 damage and needs assessment from the Office of State Budget and Management.