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From Housing to Smart Growth, Donor Session Trips Highlight Efforts to Build Community and Solve Problems

As branch manager and assistant vice president of HomeTrust Bank, Christine Dozier could write a book about the regional housing market. But when she and a group of nearly 20 Foundation donors gathered in January at the Asheville-based Mountain Housing Opportunities for a donor session with The Community Foundation, Dozier left surprised at just how many people are waiting for an affordable, safe place to live.

"I knew that was a problem and I know it still exists," says Dozier, who is also on the board of directors of the Affordable Housing Coalition. "But when they told us the numbers of people waiting for affordable housing, it was shocking to see that they (Mountain Housing Opportunities) could build and build and build and still not meet the demand."

First created in 2002, donor sessions such as this one introduce Foundation supporters to experts and the people affected by key mountain issues, expose them to nonprofits tackling those topics, discuss the needs of mountain residents and show how their funds can support community efforts.

January’s session took donors across the Asheville area, which ranks as the most expensive housing market in the state, according to the N.C. Home Builders Association. Donors toured several complexes built by Mountain Housing Opportunities, which builds and improves homes, neighborhoods and communities for people of limited resources. "We feel a house is not a roof over your head," MHO Executive Director Scott Dedman told Foundation donors. "It’s the spirit, it’s the identity." Donors also had the chance to visit with some of the people served by these organizations, including Ev Freed, who welcomed donors into her one-bedroom condominium in MHO’s Merritt Park.

Donors also learned how the Foundation supports these efforts across the mountain region. The Foundation recently granted funds to MHO and to work by The Community Housing Coalition of Madison County and the Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity to improve and build affordable housing. The Foundation is also the administrator of the Ellington Community Housing Fund, which was recently created by an Asheville developer who plans to construct a downtown hotel and condominium development. It is estimated that, once the units are sold, more than $1.1 million will go into the fund to help address the housing needs of the downtown Asheville workforce.

Housing isn’t the only focus, though. Donor sessions have also tackled issues such as education to the arts economy and mental health issues. "We want to provide our fundholders with information and interesting experiences that help them in their grantmaking," says Donor Relations Director Susan Russo. To learn more about upcoming donor sessions, e-mail Russo or call (828) 254-4960 .