ABCCM to build 150 units of affordable housing

ASHEVILLE — ABCCM is moving forward with plans to build 150 additional units of affordable housing for homeless veterans, women and children.

The Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry plans to announce the news at its quarterly general assembly of churches Tuesday night. Some 279 congregations participate in the ministry, which relies on three thousand volunteers.

The nonprofit crisis charity has been working for five years to raise $5.5 million for its Transformation Village project, permanent housing for women and children in crisis.

The Transformation Village will consist of 106 units and a large community training center in South Asheville. It will be located on 24-acres behind the Hampton Inn across from Interstate-26 and the Jim Barkley Toyota on Brevard Road.

“The Transformation Village is the biggest thing for homelessness that this community has ever done, even that ABCCM has ever done," said the Rev. Scott Rogers, executive director of the charity. "It has the potential to take every homeless woman and child off the streets."

ABCCM currently operates Steadfast House, a homeless shelter for women and children, but there is always more demand for beds than there is space, Rogers said.

Around 300 women and children are on the waiting list.

Transformation Village will take three years to complete and will be done in phases, Rogers said. ABCCM has purchased the property and is continuing to raise funds to offset construction costs.

The first phase will include a community training center with a commercial kitchen and offices for volunteers and staff. Attached will be 26 motel-sized rooms for single women. The first of five neighborhoods will be 20 two-bedroom apartment units for mothers and their children.

The second phase will build additional neighborhoods for female veterans, survivors of domestic violence and intact families. A total of 60 one-bedroom units and 20 more two-bedroom units will be built, along with space for playgrounds, greenways and outdoor recreational activities.

A third phase will be evaluated based on the capacity needed to end child homelessness, Rogers said.

The charity is also expanding its services for veterans.

ABCCM will build a Veterans Village next to its Veterans Restoration Quarters on Tunnel Road in East Asheville. Often called the VRQ, the Veterans Restoration Quarters is a refurbished hotel offering long-term transitional housing, education and workforce training to some 240 homeless veterans.

Developing 10-acres of land the charity already owned, ABCCM will build a $3.5 million, five-story building consisting of 44 permanent housing units for veterans and program and training space.

Construction on both projects is scheduled to begin in the next three months.