ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Buncombe County leaders are looking at spending about a quarter more on emergency cold-weather shelter this winter, just as one of downtown Asheville’s main shelters prepares to take 65 beds out of year-round service.
County staff have put $376,353 on the table for Code Purple in 2026-27, a jump from the $303,000 set aside a year ago. The plan would also nearly double what the county pays shelters, raising the nightly rate from $39.15 to $75 for each person housed.
Because the per-night rate climbs so sharply, the larger budget actually buys fewer nights. It would cover 5,018 bed nights, down from 7,579 budgeted last season. Shelters used 4,426 last winter, so the new figure still leaves a cushion of 592 if demand holds steady.
The squeeze comes from the Salvation Army, which will pause the long-term residential program at its Center of Hope on Nov. 1. The organization says the building at 204 Haywood Street is not closing, and it hopes to restart the program on May 1, 2027, once a local fundraising push is complete. It is the first such pause in nearly 50 years of year-round lodging in Asheville.
During the winter, the Haywood Street building is set to work as an expanded Code Purple site with up to 80 overnight beds on freezing nights. County staff expect about 44 added Code Purple beds overall, though the final count and the list of sites have not been released.
Shelters open under Code Purple on nights when the forecast, including wind chill, falls to 32 degrees or colder, or sits between 33 and 40 degrees with precipitation. This season stretches from Nov. 1 to April 30.
Filed under: Asheville NC Health News
