Pisgah Legal Service Robin Merrell

With only 18 employees Pisgah Legal Served around 9,000 people through 35,000 cases last year.

They receive over 10,000 phone calls a year.

Within these cases 35% are housing cases dealing with home ownership to prevention of foreclosure.

They also look at the BIG PICTURE of affordable housing issues. Robin help with the Affordable Housing plan.

Another issue they work with is making sure landlords and the housing authority's practices following there polices. (Charging late fees when there is nothing in the policies that says they will charge late fees, etc.)

Homelessness Tour with Amy Sawyer 2/15

We went to....

A-HOPE
Breakfast at Pritchard Park
Department of Social Services
ABCCM Veterans Shelter
The Griffen
Hill Crest

MHO with Rich Olejniczak 2/3

received folders from Rich with all of the different programs that Mountain Housing Opportunities offers.

Some other things we spoke about:

Buncombe County median income: 52,500
2nd Morages program
Housing Trust Fund
Fair Housing Laws...
Can not discriminate against race, sex, or disability.
You can discriminate by income, and there is nothing said about sexuality

Quotes from Rich:
"Our services are needed more than ever."
"... all kinds of demand for the rental market"
"If we built a Crowell Park every month we could fill it up for at least a year."

Dinner with Sharone 1/28/09

Met with Sharone who shared her family's stories of steps through affordable housing.

She shared her stories of domestic violence, working with Helpmate, the Housing Authority, Interlace, OnTrack, Pisgah Legal Services, and Habitat for Humanity.

Group Stereotypes 1/21

Stereotypes that we have heard of Affordable Housing units and the people who live there discussed in our first meeting!

• Sectioned by race
• not many white people
• unsafe
• the "projects"
• only low-income people, poor
  
• general negative environment
• "fat black ladies on welfare"
• drugs
• gangs
• ethic
  
• violent
• non-English speaking people
• uneducated
  
• unemployed