ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — This year’s Continuum of Care Point-in-Time count in Buncombe County found a record number of homeless people, and officials say it’s all due to Helene.
The report showed a total of 755 homeless people, a figure that’s slightly up from 2024’s count, which was 739. But the final count is much larger, 2,303 to be exact.
According to the Continuum of Care, that final count to be reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will include an additional 1,548 people, since they were being sheltered in hotels or motels paid for by an agency. All of those people were without housing due to Tropical Storm Helene, according to a news release…