ASHEVILLE – All down the halls and in rooms of the Country Inn and Suites near Westgate Mall, a small community of displaced Buncombe County residents greet each other after walking their pets or taking a stroll outside. General Manager Cerena Cruz can easily name the members of the tight-knit group supported by Federal Emergency Management Agency vouchers.
“It’s been whittled down to people that just really are taking care of the hotel — taking care of each other,” Cruz said, growing teary-eyed talking about those living in the hotel. “It’s hard seeing some of them leave.”
Over the last three months, a majority of those living in the hotel have departed for new homes as FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program slowly winds down. Most were set to depart on March 7, though the program ends May 26. They reenter a job market with an unemployment rate that has more than doubled due to Tropical Storm Helene, and a high priced rental landscape…