Habitat for Humanity Announces Its First “Business Bungalow” House: an Opportunity for Businesses of All Sizes to Support Affordable Housing

 Affordable housing is one of the most pressing unmet needs in our region. A recently released report* indicated that the combination of a lack of affordable units, a critically low vacancy rate and a significant projected population growth will make housing availability in our area, especially affordable housing, a rare commodity.

Thanks to an anonymous donation through the Community Foundation of WNC, Asheville Area Habitat is pleased to announce it’s first-ever “Business Bungalow” House will soon begin in West Asheville. All donations to this house by local businesses, will be matched (up to $25,000) by this caring donor.

The donor, who wants to address the affordable housing shortage head-on, is offering this challenge match to encourage the business community to get involved and be part of the solution. “This is an opportunity to work together to build a Habitat house, address a pressing community need, and most importantly, transform the life of another local family,” said Betsy Warren, Sponsor Coordinator for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. “We are enormously grateful to this donor and we’re excited to partner with the business community to collectively address the lack of affordable housing in the area.”

How to get involved:
Donations of all sizes are welcome and appreciated. All donors will receive a special window cling (decal), be recognized in AAHH’s annual report (printed and online) and be included in a printed program at the dedication of the house.

Businesses that give $250 will be recognized as Housing Champions and will also receive the following benefits: the option to schedule one on-site volunteer workday, and a listing on AAHH’s website for the duration of the build (approximately six months).

 

Sponsorship opportunities ($1,000 and up) are also available. To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/AAHHsponsorships or contact Betsy Warren, Sponsorship Coordinator, at bwarren@ashevillehabitat.org  or 828.210.9363.

*The January 2015 Regional Housing Analysis by Bowen Research Group, commissioned by the City of Asheville.

About Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity has welcomed 270 Buncombe County families to safe, decent and affordable houses since 1983. Habitat homes, which are Green Built NC certified, are sold at no-profit to partner families, who pay back a 0% interest loan. The non-profit also offers a home repair program for low-income homeowners. Learn more about Asheville Area Habitat by visiting ashevillehabitat.org.

Penland Creek accepted as name of creek in East West Asheville

Asheville can add one more name to its map. RiverLink is proud to announce that the name "Penland Creek," has been accepted for a stream in Westwood Place, a neighborhood in East West Asheville bounded by Haywood Road, Craven Street, I-26 and Patton Avenue. Penland Creek was chosen after months of community input and voting, representing a nod toward Johnny Penland and his father, Grover Penland, who began Penland's Auctions in the late 1950s on what is now the New Belgium site. The famous auction house was active until 2013.

From the United States Geological Survey: "The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, at its April 30, 2015 meeting, approved the proposal to apply the new name Penland Creek to an unnamed stream in the City of Asheville.  The name has been entered into the Geographic Names Information System, the nation's official geographic names repository, which is available and searchable online at http://geonames.usgs.gov.  The entry reads as follows:

Penland Creek: stream; 0.8 mi. long; heads in the community of West Asheville, 2.2 mi. WSW of White Fawn Gap at 35°34'40"N, 82°34'41"W, flows NNE to enter the French Broad River 2.2 mi. SSE of Richmond Hill; named in association with the Penland Auction House, the former site of which the stream flows through; Buncombe County, North Carolina; 35°35'14"N, 82°34'14"W; USGS map -Asheville, 1:24,000."

Name that Creek is a long-time project whereby RiverLink asks the community to  submit suggestions for creek names and then vote for the most fitting name and having a creek-naming ceremony. After a name is chosen, it is submitted to the United States Geological Survey and eventually becomes the official name for the creek. Since the project's inception, RiverLink has sponsored two other successful creek name changes with the help of community volunteers: Buttermilk Creek, a tributary of Hominy Creek in West Asheville, and Big Branch, a tributary of Reems Creek in Weaverville.

Any unnamed tributary of the French Broad is a candidate for Name that Creek. Interested parties can contact RiverLink's Dave Russell at dave@riverlink.org for more information. 

Local financial advisors lead grassroots effort on Capitol Hill

Sheila Jamison (Managing Director) and Rich Jamison (Market Analysis Director), of Jamison Financial Group, recently helped lead a grassroots effort on Capitol Hill with the goal of preserving Americans’ access to affordable, objective financial advice and protecting investors. Sheila & Rich met with members of Congress and their staffs as part of the Financial Services Institute (FSI) team on May 15, 2015. “Speaking directly to a member of Congress and letting them know what hard-working Americans are going through every day is invaluable,” said Sheila Jamison.“This was an incredible opportunity for us to educate them on what Americans need in terms of financial advice now and in the future and how what legislators and regulators are doing affects their lives,” said Rich Jamison. As part of the FSI grassroots team, Sheila and Rich spoke to the members of Congress about these critical issues: the Department of Labor’s proposed fiduciary standard, the importance of preserving tax incentives that encourage retirement saving and preserving the independent contractor status of independent financial advisors. The independent financial advisor members of FSI serve more than 15 million American households. Members of Congress with whom FSI members met serve on House and Senate committees important to the investment community including the Senate Banking Committee, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, House Financial Services Committee and House Education and Workforce Committee. “We are very pleased to have Sheila & Rich Jamison as engaged members working on behalf of their clients,” said FSI President & CEO Dale Brown. “Conscientious members like Sheila and Rich help bring real-life experience to our advocacy efforts. We plan to work closely with Sheila and Rich as we advocate for independent financial advisors and the hard-working clients they serve.”Jamison Financial Group offers full service financial planning and asset management. Sheila & Rich have been independent advisors for 10 years and they offer securities through Investors Capital Corporation Member FINRA/SIPC. More information on Jamison Financial Group can be found at www.jamisonfinancialgroup.com .