13th Annual Welcome Home Luncheon

May 21, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM | A-B Tech Mission Conference Center

This event brought together over 200 social justice advocates and dedicated community members to learn about how our community can prevent and end homelessness in Buncombe County.

Thank You to everyone who participated in Homeward Bound’s 13th Annual Welcome Home Luncheon

“Creating Community”

About the Luncheon

In the last four years alone, Homeward Bound has grown significantly. We launched our Home is Key Capital Campaign, opened Compass Point Village, and expanded our housing and homeless services programming to meet the needs of our community. None of this progress would have been possible without the individuals, initiatives, businesses, and fellow nonprofits who also call WNC home. This year’s luncheon focused on the importance of partnerships in our community, which was highlighted in the short film, Creating Community, and “Solving Homelessness Together, a discussion between homeless strategy leaders.

“Solving Homelessness Together”

During “Solving Homelessness Together,” attendees heard from Homeward Bound CEO Simon Dwight; Emily Ball, Homeless Strategy Division Manager with the City of Asheville; and Andrew Yavorski, Program Officer of Human Services at The Leon Levine Foundation.

The discussion focused on the state of homelessness in Asheville following Hurricane Helene and the collective steps we need to take as a community to address this growing crisis. Solutions included the need for more shelter beds, increased community support, and stronger advocacy for affordable housing in Asheville, which has the highest cost of living in North Carolina.

Simon Dwight

CEO, Homeward Bound of WNC

Experienced practitioner and researcher, adeptly bridging the worlds of homelessness solutions and academic insights. CEO of Homeward Bound in Asheville, NC. Former Specialist Adviser to the UK government. Harvard, Cambridge, and Middlesex University alum. As a leader, I’ve brought together diverse teams to drive growth, transform organization’s and impact multi-stakeholder systems. I believe we can solve entrenched social challenges through innovation, partnership, and a death grip on hope. My research focuses on two core passions. First, the role of community and relationships in sustainably ending poverty. Second, how organizational culture is formed and how it can be influenced to create success.

Emily Ball

Homeless Strategy Division Manager, City of Asheville

Emily Ball is the lead staff for the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care, our community’s collaborative planning body to coordinate homelessness response. Her interest in homelessness began as a 12-year-old serving a meal at a Mealsite with her youth group and has continued ever since. She has 18 years of experience in homelessness work, including 16 years in Asheville developing and overseeing homeless and housing programs at Homeward Bound and facilitating community-level work through the establishment of the new Continuum of Care in 2024. She is based at the City of Asheville, managing the Homeless Strategy Division, which fulfills the City’s responsibilities as the designated Lead Agency for the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care.

Andrew Yavorski

Program Officer Human Services, The Leon Levine Foundation

Andrew Yavorski is a Program Officer at The Leon Levine Foundation. As a Program Officer, Andrew is responsible for evaluating grant proposals, program research and identifying new grant opportunities. He works primarily in the Human Services mission area, which includes issues related to housing and homelessness. Currently, he also serves as the Vice Chair of the Mecklenburg County Continuum of Care Governing Board. A Charlotte native, Andrew earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy & History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington.