ASHEVILLE – When Brandon Wilson first saw the damage Tropical Storm Helene had levied against the Veterans Restoration Quarters, he feared the building could not be saved.
“When we got down here, there was mud everywhere, there were cars. There were 18-wheelers, there were trees down. There was a huge tree that almost got into our kitchen,” said Wilson, who serves as the chief operating officer of Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, a coalition of churches that operates the veterans homeless shelter. “It was a complete devastation.”
The 250-bed facility is located within sight of the Swannanoa River , and flooding from the storm left behind a thick layer of mud that coated the first floor of the building and destroyed many of the belongings of the people who lived there. Most of the 168 residents were forced to evacuate during the storm, many taking only what they could carry.
The VRQ serves as a refuge mostly for homeless veterans as they seek permanent housing and a stable life. A complete loss of the building would have financially challenged the church group and potentially delayed a rebuild.