Join Us: Building Community through Housing Solutions

Hello! I am Kellie Reed Ashcraft, and I am the first Director of our new nonprofit, the Watauga Housing Council–we are thrilled that you took the time to find out more about us!

First, let me share a little bit of who we are!  We grew out of the widely popular, volunteer-led Watauga Housing Forum, held on four evenings in March & April, 2022.  The four nightly topics included: Safety of Housing; Accessibility of Housing; Affordability of Housing; & Potential Housing Solutions.

During the Forum, all community members were invited to join us at the Watauga Community Recreation Center in Boone or by zoom to come together to learn more about our housing crises related to each of these topics, have a meal together and meet in break-out groups with volunteer facilitators and note-takers who asked open-ended questions related to each topic.  

Forum activities also included:

• A video with interviews of fellow community members who were experiencing housing issues related to safety, accessibility, or affordability;

• A panel discussion with community partners addressing these topics;

• A Question & Answer from the audience of the panelists;

• Review & discussion of a data placemat related to each topic; &

• Time to discuss each topic in small roundtable groups.

We had 120-200 community members join us for each Session–it was powerful!!!!!  During the last session, we invited everyone to come to a first meeting of a Watauga Housing Council, in which we would identify housing solutions for our community, prioritize those solutions, and form committees to get the work done.

In June, 2022, the Watauga Housing Council (WHC) was born!  

The important mission for the WHC is to increase the supply of housing for Watauga’s cost-burdened residents, through partnerships and systemic change.

To achieve our mission, community volunteers meet monthly, on the first Tuesdays of every month, from 3:30-5 pm at Boone United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center (471 New Market Boulevard, Boone)

COME JOIN US ON OUR CURRENT EFFORTS!

We meet as a large group at the beginning of the meeting & then we break into our committees to do our work.  Here is a brief overview of each of our committees:

• Community Engagement Committee:This committee focuses on specific housing and related needs of target communities in Watauga on an ongoing basis.  The committee has conducted a community-wide housing survey, and plans & hosts community dinners/conversations with target communities to best focus on each communities’ dreams & needs.  The committee also works alongside some of our target communities on their identified housing & community priorities.

• Government Relations Committee: This committee is focused on exploring development of different public-private-partnerships to facilitate housing creation.  The committee also guides when we speak before elected officials on housing topics that relate to our mission.  The committee also is focusing on key policy discussions and funding opportunities that facilitate housing development. 

• Housing Solutions Committee:  This committee focuses on implementing our housing action steps/solutions based on previous votes of the entire WHC.  Currently, the committee is focusing on supporting specific housing conversations & efforts with different Watauga employers, providing support to a resident-owned trailer community initiative, and exploring manufactured housing opportunities for the community.

We also have a small Communications Work Group, a Data Work Group, and a charter Board of Directors, now that we are a recognized non-profit organization!

We would love to have you join us in our important community housing efforts!  Here are just a sample of some of our recent & current activities:

• Conducting housing surveys with families attending the Back to School Festival at Watauga High School this August;

• Working with community partners & our neighbors in 2 communities to help improve and beautify their neighborhoods;

• Visiting a manufactured home building facility & cross-modular home subdivision two other NC communities;

• Speaking on behalf of two rezoning requests before the Boone Town Council that would increase the supply of housing

We can’t wait to get going on our next year’s worth of activities!  Jump in if you are interested.

Here are the dates, times & locations for the 2024-2025 year:

Tues. Sept. 3, 3:30-5 pm, Boone United Methodist Church (BUMC) & by *Zoom 

(Zoom link available closer to the date)

Tues. Oct. 1, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. Nov. 5, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. Dec. 3, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. Jan. 7, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. Feb. 4, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. March 4, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. April 1, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. May 6, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

Tues. June 3, 3:30-5 pm, BUMC & zoom

*We take a break during July & August-no large WHC meeting!

Have questions?  Want to participate? 

Submit your information through our contact form and we will be in touch.

Together we are building community through housing solutions!