Minority Contractors Meeting for Eagle Market Street

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November 30: Eat, Drink + Be Merry while Supporting Neighbors

Listen to jazz, eat, drink and be merry while you support neighbors in need.  Hosted by Mountain Housing Opportunities, The Housewarming Party benefits MHO’s Affordable Housing + Emergency Home Repair programs that serve underprivileged families in Buncombe County. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages from The Merry Wine Market and New Belgium Brewery, and entertainment from the Butch Quisto Jazz Quartet comprise this charitable evening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 30. Tickets cost $55 per person, $100 per couple. For more, visit www.mtnhousing.org or call (828) 254-4030.

IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND (you can still help)–this is clever!

Throughout the holiday season and during the event, an online gift registry lets you donate housewarming gifts, including: as little as $2.50 for a roof shingle and up to as much as you like for appliances, furnaces, and more, that go directly to those in need. It’s just like a wedding registry, and can fit any budget—if we all give a little, it can go a long way.  So, if you can’t make it to this event, please consider a donation of any amount here—there is no amount too small.

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Doors of Asheville Art Auction: Friday, Sept. 9

The 8^th annual Doors of Asheville Art Auction is Friday, September 9, 2011, and is presented by HomeTrust Bank and Mountain Housing Opportunities at The Venue at 21 N. Market Street in downtown Asheville.  Guests will enjoy: live bidding on works from regional artists, delicious hors d’oeuvres, fine wines and local beer as well as live swing music. The auction begins at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required.  Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling 828-254-4030, ext. 116.  All proceeds from the event benefit emergency home repairs for seniors, single parents and underserved populations in Buncombe County.

See the Catalog of Artwork.

More information.

 

 

 

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Local Artists Add to the Glen Rock Depot: Opening This Thursday with Sneak Previews from the newest theatre in town

 

Bench, by Gail Fredell

If you’ve driven down Depot Street (past Clingman Café and the Soapy Dog ), you’ve likely noticed one of the newest neighbors in the River Arts District–the Glen Rock Depot www.GlenRockDepot.com, a 90,000 SF green building that includes 60 workforce apartments and two awesome businesses…with room for more!

Angelique Tassistro, Jen Swearington and Gail Fredell were chosen through a Call to Artists to create architectural elements for the building: Door Tiles for Residents, a Wall of Gratitude, and Benches, respectively.

Angelique Tassistro, a neighbor of the Glen Rock Depot, designed and constructed touching and fun handmade tiles for each of the 60 workforce apartments in 372 Depot.  She is the founder Fly Coop Studios, introducing a new line of whimsical pottery.  Her studio is open to the public and is located in the Asheville’s River Arts District at 375 Depot, across the street from the Glen Rock Depot.

Jen Swearington designed and constructed a unique and lovely Wall of Gratitude for the main public lobby of 372 Depot.  The Wall of Gratitude offers thanks to those community partners and funders who made the space a reality.  Jen is known primarily for her dreamy, narrative art quilts and Jennythreads, her line of handmade clothing and accessories.

Gail Fredell designed and constructed beautiful Wooden Benches for two locations near the commercial storefronts at 372 Depot.  Gail is an internationally known artist who moved to Asheville in 2009.

More images of the artists’ work here.

Also, The Magnetic Field is the first theatre in the Southeast to show only original theatre works.  The Magnetic Field will be offering sneak previews of their upcoming show 10 minute previews of the 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular at 5:30, 6:15, and 7:00 p.m. the evening of the Glen Rock Depot Grand Opening, Thursday, December 2.

372 Depot’s 60 workforce apartments were fully leased within 60 days, demonstrating the strong demand for workforce housing in Buncombe County.  The building also includes 3,000 SF of community space, 9,000 SF of commercial space, and 60 solar panels built and installed by FLS Energy, providing solar thermal hot water to every residential unit.

Come on by and check it out with one of the tours during the Grand Opening on Thursday, December 2 from 3:30 – 7 p.m.

Schedule

4:00 p.m. sharp Public Remarks and Ribbon Cutting (outdoors)

Including remarks from Mayor Bellamy and County Commissioner Bill Stanley, and Representative Patsy Keever

5:00-7:00 p.m. Guided Tours of 372 Depot and Refreshments at The Magnetic Field

Location: 372 Depot Street, Asheville, NC 28801

Parking for the event will be challenging until the Glen Rock Depot lot is finished.  Please walk, bike, bus, or carpool if you can.

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Sweat Equity Can Help Pay For Your New Home

Moutain Housing Opportunity’s Self-Help Homeownership program provides families and individuals in Buncombe County with low or moderate income an opportunity to achieve  homeownership. The program makes owning homes affordable by allowing families to contribute “sweat equity” construction hours to reduce the cost of their homes. A group of qualifying families work together to build their homes under the guidance of an MHO construction supervisor.

The Self-Help Homeownership Program consists of single family home developments located in rural areas of Buncombe County that are attractive, affordable, and as near as possible to schools, shopping and places of employment.

Home mortgages are arranged through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Interest rates vary according to a family’s need and can go as low as one percent. The value of a family’s labor is used as the down payment on the new home.

The Self-Help Homeownership program improves lives by building affordable homes and attractive neighborhoods.

Interested?  Get more information. Or call Coryn at 254-4030, who is a self-help homeowner and now works at MHO!  She can tell you all about the process.

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Beautiful Affordable Apartments in River Arts District NOW LEASING

Non-profit developer Mountain Housing Opportunities has it’s residential leasing office for the Glen Rock Depot open for residential leasing appointments.  The office is located at 362 Depot Street in the River Arts District and Southside neighborhoods.  For more images of the apartments, click here.

The 60 affordable 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments are located at the Glen Rock Depot multi-use development in the River Arts District.  Mountain Housing Opportunities encourages anyone who needs affordable housing to call and make an appointment.  Those already on the waiting list will be called to schedule appointments.

The number to call to schedule an appointment is 828.225.3081.

828.225.3081

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Cindy Weeks and Mountain Housing Opportunities: Pushing for More Affordable Housing

Photo by Brent Fluery, Verve Magazine

Jess McCuan, editor of Verve Magazine, features Cindy Weeks this month.  Cindy is the Community Rental Investments Manager at non-profit Mountain Housing Opportunities.

Cindy Weeks knows her clients well. Probably because she was once one of them. Today, Weeks, 56, is the picture of the polished white-collar professional—well dressed, well educated, pulling up to her North Asheville home in a Subaru. But her life didn’t always look like this. In her mid-20s, Weeks was a single mother with two toddlers, waitressing at an upscale club near a racetrack in urban Pittsburgh. Her four-year marriage had fallen apart, and she was nearly evicted from her home. It was sometime during this rocky period that she realized waitressing simply wouldn’t cut it. She couldn’t survive, much less support her children well. “There is this other world out there,” she recalls thinking. “I need to set my life up so that it works better than this.”

Read More…

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Call for Artists: Doors of Asheville, deadline July 6

Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) invites artists to participate in the 7th Annual Doors of Asheville Auction, an opportunity for artists to stretch their boundaries and create artwork to help MHO open doors to affordable home ownership and strengthen our community. This year’s Doors of Asheville is a juried event and your artwork must fall into the description listed below. The artist application deadline is Tuesday, July 6th. Chosen artists will be notified by July 20th. If chosen, your artwork will need to be submitted by September 20th. The Doors of Asheville event will take place on Friday, November 5, at The Venue in Asheville.

What are the entry requirements?

• Artwork Inspired by Houses or Homes
• Any media that portrays houses or homes, including art that supports the mission and work of Mountain Housing Opportunities

All selected artists receive a $100 honorarium along with $300 for any piece that sells for more than $1500 at the Auction on November 5th. Twenty-five artists will be selected by a jury of art professionals. Artists should submit a small proposal indicating their preliminary design concepts, a biography, one to three images of their work and a website address (if applicable). You can download an application form here.

You may email the application to Lisa Keeter lisa@mtnhousing.org, fax the form to 828-254-0124 or mail to 2010 Doors of Asheville, Mountain Housing Opportunities, 64 Clingman Avenue, Suite 101, Asheville, NC 28801. Please call 828-254-4030, ext. 116, if you have any questions.

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Glen Rock Depot is Leasing Commercial Space

The Glen Rock Depot is a multi-use development among the River Arts District and the Southside neighborhood.  It includes three buildings.  372 Depot, the new, multi-use building has 9,000 SF of commercial storefront space.

Picture your business serving those living in the 60 apartments upstairs as well as the South French Broad/Livingston/Southside neighborhood.  Current tenants include:

The Magnetic Field, a coffee and performance house

Evolve: World Dance Studio

A Salon, A Restaurant, Jen Swearington’s studio and retail space, and a soap-making studio and retail space.  Cindy Weeks, of Mountain Housing Opportunities, tells us more here.

For more information: www.GlenRockDepot.com

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Green Opportunities + Mountain Housing Opportunities = Opportunity

Brandon Meyer (middle) with colleague and Russ Henningsen (right) Superintendent with Cox-Schepp Construction

Until recently, Brandon Meyer was a young man without a compass.   A young man without direction.  All that changed when a trio of organizations entered Brandon’s life: Mountain Housing Opportunities, Asheville Green Opportunities (Asheville GO), and Cox-Schepp Construction, Inc.

The connection between all of these organizations began with Cindy Weeks, Manager of Community Investments with Mountain Housing Opportunities.

“Because of MHO’s interest in helping young people gain living wage employment, I have always encouraged training in the construction trades, which offers some of the highest paying jobs in our region,” said Weeks. “When GO started, I was immediately interested in involving them and their trainees in the Glen Rock Depot, since it is a community development project with affordable housing.  It very quickly became a reality.  But without Cox-Shepp’s willingness to take this on, in addition to their many pressing duties, it would not have been possible.”

Brandon is part of the Asheville Green Opportunities Training Team, a paid job training and placement program designed to give disconnected youth in the Asheville community a living wage job in the fast growing green economy.

“ We work with high school dropouts, underprivileged teens, kids with little or no work experience,” said GO co-founder Dan Leroy. “Brandon is part of the apprenticeship program that is hosted by local businesses that provide on-the-job experience for 20 weeks.”

Russ Henningsen is Superintendent of Cox-Schepp Construction, Inc.  He’s also Brandon’s supervisor.

“We made sure that Brandon understood that he was part of a team here,” said Henningsen.  “People counted on him to not let them down.  In reality,” continued Henningsen, “he’s learned how to not let himself down.”

Brandon has learned a variety of job responsibilities during his apprenticeship – from installing solar panels to assisting carpenters.  “We’re trying to get him prepared for the rest of his life,” said Henningsen.

“The experience has been awesome,” said twenty-one year old Brandon. “I’ve learned a lot and I’ve been given opportunities that I never would have had.  I’m so grateful to MHO and GO and the Cox-Schepp team.”

Brandon’s apprenticeship with the construction company is nearly finished. But Brandon won’t be leaving.  Cox-Schepp will be hiring Brandon after the program ends – a new man, with a new direction.

Article by Lisa Keeter, Mountain Housing Opportunities

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