When Dylan and Jessica learned they were going to have a baby, they were living in Texas, sheltering in a makeshift structure on the edge of the woods. They built it out of loose plywood and scrap from a McDonald’s billboard. They had been without stable housing for some time, with only each other for support.

Without permanent shelter or transportation, they washed up with water they bought at a nearby gas station, then walked three miles to work and three miles back to their shelter every day. It was winter, with temperatures dropping to negative twelve degrees—cold enough for icicles to form along their shelter while they slept. Even with both of them working full-time jobs, they hadn’t been able to keep up with their rent.

“We were starving,” Dylan said. “Having to light our campfire with flint and steel. And because it’s all wet, you can’t light a fire. So we were just starving all night, listening to each other’s stomachs growl. That was scary. Like, ‘Are we going to be able to light a fire and feed ourselves in the next twenty-four hours?’”

Then they learned Jessica was pregnant. In nine months they would have a baby to care for, and they couldn’t do it in these conditions. They needed a way out. 

They had family in North Carolina, so they decided to head there for support. During their last weeks in Texas, Dylan wrote the words Asheville Bound on a piece of plywood above their heads. The words hung above them as they huddled together and waited for the day they could leave.

On their final night in Texas, a tornado ripped past their shelter, forcing them to flee. The next day, they boarded a bus bound for Asheville.

In September, donors, sponsors, and community members gathered at The Venue for our Golden Doors Gala. The evening included a three-course meal, live auction, and the premiere of Between Here and Home, a series of theatrical monologues inspired by the experiences of people served by Homeward Bound.

The live auction quickly surpassed our expectations, and the audience listened in rapt silence as the three monologues brought different stages of the journey toward permanent housing to life.

By the end of the evening, our community had raised more than $280,000 to support Homeward Bound’s work to prevent and end homelessness in our community.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who made the evening possible—from our sponsors and auction donors to everyone who joined us, gave generously, and helped make the night such a success.

Between Here and Home featured three fictional characters at different points in their journeys toward permanent housing. Each character was created from composite elements of real experiences of people served by Homeward Bound.

For those who weren’t able to attend the gala, or anyone who would like to revisit the performances, we recorded all three monologues.

Marvin is still experiencing homelessness. Watch as he struggles to organize his thoughts and find the courage to reach out for help. Due to technical difficulties during the first half of the performance, the video includes only the second half of Marvin’s monologue.

Daisy is recently housed. In the performance, she shows the audience the artwork that hangs on the walls of her new home, tying each piece back to an important memory of her journey toward stable housing. 

Olivia has a family and has been housed for some time now. She runs into an old acquaintance and reminisces about how she went from sheltering with her kids in her car to living safely with a roof over her head.

After 11 years of helping women veterans across Western North Carolina find housing stability, Aura Home Women Vets is closing its doors. But the impact of that work will continue.

Aura Home’s Board of Directors has chosen to transfer the organization’s remaining assets to Homeward Bound of WNC.

Since its founding, Aura Home served women veterans across nine Western North Carolina counties and helped 607 women veterans experiencing housing instability.

As part of the transition, Homeward Bound received an $80,000 gift from Aura Home at our Golden Doors Gala, along with its six-passenger van. Proceeds from the eventual sale of Aura Home’s Hendersonville property will also be transferred to Homeward Bound.

We are deeply grateful to Aura Home Women Vets for 11 years of service to women veterans across our region, and for entrusting Homeward Bound with resources that will help carry this work forward.

In August, Homeward Bound joined unhoused neighbors, volunteers, and community organizations for a cleanup along Tunnel Road organized by the Community Relations Committee of Asheville-Buncombe’s Continuum of Care.

Working side-by-side, the group spent the morning cleaning up the area and collected enough trash to fill multiple pickup trucks.

It was a great example of what can happen when people from different parts of our community come together to care for a place we all share. A big thank-you to the Community Relations Committee for organizing the effort, and to everyone who came out to participate.

Starring Asheville’s own funk rock band Empire Strikes Brass, this event will also feature a silent auction, raffle, kids dance competition, and a Homecoming King and Queen, voted on by the audience. Kids 12 and under attend for free!

You don’t have to attend the event to participate in the silent auction or raffle. Through the online portal, anyone can bid on auction items or purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win the featured prize. See below for more details.

All proceeds benefit Homeward Bound. Join us for a music-filled, family-friendly event outdoors this fall!

When & Where: Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 4:00-8:00pm | Pisgah Brewing Company | 2948 US-70, Black Mountain, NC 28711

Enter the raffle for your chance to win a 4-night stay at a beautiful mountain cottage in Franklin, NC!

Surrounded by 26 acres of private land with no neighbors in sight, this peaceful mountain retreat offers beautiful views of the forest and mountains while still providing all the modern amenities you need for a comfortable getaway.

The winner will be announced at our Homecoming Benefit Concert on Oct. 18. But you don't have to attend the concert to enter! Anyone can participate via the online portal.

Raffle tickets can be purchased now through the end of the Homecoming Benefit Concert on October 18. The winner will be drawn during the concert. Click here to register.

Join CREIA and Homeward Bound of WNC for a community discussion about affordable housing, homelessness, and the challenges facing Asheville.

We’ll hear from Mayor Esther Manheimer and City Council Member Kim Roney, who are both candidates for mayor, about their perspectives on these issues and the policies shaping Asheville’s housing landscape.

This is an opportunity to:

• Hear directly from the mayoral candidates about affordable housing and homelessness
• Learn more about their perspectives on housing policy and development
• Ask questions and hear how they would approach these challenges
• Take part in a broader community conversation about housing in Asheville

Come learn more about these issues in our community and join the conversation. Admission is free!
Click here to register.

When & Where: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 5:30-8:30pm | Highland Brewing Company | 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Asheville, NC 28803

Next month, P.F. Chang's will host another Give Back Night, in which 10% of all sales are donatedto Homeward Bound. Drop by for some delicious dining and support our mission at the same time!

When & Where: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | P.F. Chang's | 26 Schenck Parkway

Thanks to your support, our team helped 8 households move into safe, stable, and permanent housing during the month of August.

We’re grateful to The Ramble Biltmore Forest community and PBI for hosting donation drives and collecting generous assortments of household essentials and furniture for our Welcome Home Donation Center. These donations will be distributed to clients as they move into their new homes.

Thank you to Kelly and Larry Pierce for their donation of 11 chairs

PBI Donation Drive

Thanks to Tim for organizing The Ramble donation drive

We ended up needing to make five trips with the truck to transport all the items donated by Ramble Biltmore Forest!

First Citizens Foundation

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