Asheville Mayor Manheimer to lobby in DC for federal solutions for homelessness

ASHEVILLE - Mayor Esther Manheimer will travel to Washington, D.C. April 28 with a group of nearly 50 mayors to lobby for federal solutions to address homelessness.

The bipartisan group is led by the U.S. Conference of Mayors President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Chair of USCM’s Task Force on Homelessness. Manheimer is one of two North Carolina mayors participating.

The group will meet with White House officials and members of Congress about the issue of homelessness, which mayors have identified as a top concern, according to an April 26 news release from the USCM.

The advocacy trip will take place April 28-30. In that time, per a draft schedule, mayors will meet with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development acting Secretary Adrianne Todman, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, among others.

The delegation will push to expand veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that veterans don’t have to choose between their benefits and housing eligibility. They will also advocate for increased funding for housing choice vouchers and a cap for project-based vouchers, the release said.

See the South team's April 30 schedule: https://bit.ly/4b8kAGm

"I was asked to attend and I think that's because we have gotten some national attention on this issue," Manheimer told the Citizen Times April 26. "But in the bigger context of things, there are 41 mayors on the list, and some of them ... when you think of those cities you don't think of this issue, but they are all struggling with it."

Asheville's 2024 point in time count numbers, released April 25, found 739 people experiencing homelessness — 520 in shelter and transitional housing, 219 unsheltered. This represents a steep increase from the year prior, which the city attributes to an expanded methodology and more intensive count process.

Across the country, numbers are up. HUD's 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, published in December, found that the 2023 count was the highest number of people found to be homeless on a single night since reporting began in 2007.

Experiences of homelessness increased nationwide across all household types. Between 2022 and 2023, it rose 12%, or by roughly 70,650 people.

More: Asheville 2024 homeless count numbers released. How do they compare to last year?

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville mayor traveling to DC to lobby for homelessness solutions