Hey there, Asheville. 👋 The National Low Income Housing Coalition just released a new study that reports the gap between renters’ wages + the cost of rental housing across the US. 🏠
Which got us thinking — how much does it cost, on average, to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the Asheville area? 🧐 Let’s break it down, by the numbers.
💰 $1255. The Fair Market Rental (FMR) price (including utilities) for a two-bedroom apartment in the Asheville Metropolitan area. In NC, the FMR for the same-sized apartment is $919. Fair Market Rent is established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is the rent amount, including utilities (excluding telephone), to rent privately owned, existing, decent, safe and sanitary rental housing of modest (non-luxury) nature with suitable amenities.
💰 97. The number of hours you’d have to work per week on minimum wage(in NC this is $7.25) to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Asheville.A renter that makes a mean wage would need to work 68 hours a week to afford the same-sized apartment.
💰 3.3. The number of full-time jobs – at minimum wage – it takes to afford a two-bedroom apartment (FMR) in Asheville.
💰 $24.13. Thehourly wage an Asheville resident would have to make to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the city. That’s a yearly income of $50,200.
💰 36%. The percent of Asheville’s population currently renting. Out of 107,093 households in the city, 38,821 rent.
💰 28. North Carolina currently ranks as the 28st most expensive state for renters in the country for renters. Hawaii is the most expensive + Arkansas is the least expensive.
For more city data, state data, and to compare with other metropolitan areas, go here and click around. It’s kinda fun to put our numbers beside Hawaii’s. 💸
A lot of people have a roommate to help with the costs of renting. Do you have roommates?
Share the info with your friends + fam using the links below.
Coronavirus
○ NC’s Department of Health and Human Services reported atotal of 112,713 cases of coronavirus in North Carolina as of Sunday afternoon. 1,445 cases and 42 deaths have been reported in Buncombe County. Check stats for other counties, total tests, and more in NChere.
○ Regardless of whether classes are online this semester, the UNC system will keep tuition rates the same. They will also keep the same fees for athletics + student activities. The vote was split by the Board of Governors, with one side arguing students would receive an inferior experience if classes are virtual and would thus be overcharged by the normal tuition rate. (WLOS)
○ Buncombe County’s lead clinical partner in testing, Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS), is no longer able to manage the additional workload of community COVID-19 tests alongside their daily duties at area clinics. WNCCHS has been in charge of much of the staffing, testing, and logistics at community testing sites. The county is also still facing delays in receiving test results due to overwhelming demand.(WLOS)
○ Latinx folks currently account for a disproportionate 45% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in NC, and officials are stepping up outreach to help slow the spread in these communities. Dr. Mandy Cohen has called on influential leaders to amplify resources + share preventative methods. Hispanic and Latinx people have faced more challenges getting tested, and many work in industries deemed essential.(News & Observer)
○ Contact tracing in Buncombe + Henderson counties has been a challenge, say officials. Although there are people assigned to call contacts, successful tracing requires the cooperation of all parties, and many people have been hanging up on callers. Officials are also having issues with people who have tested positive not sharing their recent in-person contacts. (WLOS)
○ Gastonia-based textile manufacturer Parkdale Mills has weathered the economic distress of the pandemic by producing masks, gowns, and swabs at the request of the federal government. It’s one of many NC businesses that have pivoted to providing PPE and medical supplies to meet current needs. The textile industry in NC has been historically hard hit as jobs have moved overseas, but a lot of safety equipment manufacturing has moved back into the US at this time.(News & Observer)
Click the button below for local resources regarding the coronavirus.
Hey, there. Looking for today’s #MustDo events? In accordance with the
CDC’s recommendations regarding public gatherings, we have decided to postpone public event coverage for the time being. We look forward to bringing you Asheville’s #MustDo events soon (until then, feel free to submit your virtual events
here).
Looking to educate your pre-K through third grade kids about racial justice in a fun + family-centric way? Nonprofit Colorful Pages Coalition is offering free toolkits for families featuring two to three books written by award-winning Black authors — like bell hooks and Nikki Giovanni— with companion activities like games + comprehension questions that support kids’ learning.
The toolkits are available for pickup Tues., July 28 through Fri., July 31. 📚
#DYK that your photo could be featured in our newsletter? Just use #AVLtoday on social media.
Civic ○ There are multiple vacancies for City of Asheville Boards + Commissions. They include the African-American Heritage Commision, Air Quality Agency Board + more.Applications are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 7, and the council will make appointments on Aug. 25. 🌆
Health ○ Mission Health has opened a new anemia clinic in Asheville. The clinic provides services such as anemia evaluations, transfusions + bone marrow examinations. The Mission Health Rapid Access Anemia Clinic is located in the Mission Cancer Center (21 Hospital Dr.)💉(WLOS)
Community ○ The fourth annual Ingles Pharmacy + Eblen Charities Immunization Project will take place Aug. 12 at Westgate Shopping Center. This will provide access to free vaccines required for children who will go into Kindergarten, 7th or 12th grade next year. It is from 9 a.m.-5 p.m + parents should bring their child’s vaccination record and Medicaid or insurance card. 🩺
TryThis ○ The Asheville Jewish Community Center (40 Clyde St.) is hosting a drive-in movieshowing on Aug. 8. The movie will be the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing + will be shown in the parking lot of the JCC Aquatics Center. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by email. 🎫
Arts ○ Support grants ranging from $500-$1,000 are available to artists in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford + Transylvania counties. The grants are made possible through a partnership with multiple WNC Arts Councils. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30. 💸 (WLOS) ○ Asheville rapper TEYG has gained recognition with his hit songs + videos, so JAWBREAKING’s Jefferson Ellison sat down to talk with the musician about his career so far, the label he helped found, his dreams for collaboration + more. Check it out, along with other interviews in our series in partnership with JAWBREAKING, here. 🎤
DYK ○ A new art installation at the Oak Street Gallery (20 Oak St.) focuses on racial justice in the United States. The display lists the names of more than 60 Black Americans killed by police officers + the circumstances surrounding their deaths. A second installation will run Aug. 6-29 and will depict Black experiences. (WLOS)
State ○ The Republican National Convention — that was originally planned to be held in Charlotte and moved to Jacksonville, Florida— is coming back to Charlotte as COVID-19 cases spike in Florida. The convention will now only run four hours with a small subset of GOP delegates meeting to formally renominate President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee on August 24. Read more about the event here. 🐘 (WRAL)
Ashevillian ○ Liz Williams of Southern Equality Studios was a recipient of theCraft Futures Fund for the month of June. Liz will receive a one-time, unrestricted grant of $5,000 to seed resilience, foster community + amplify impact. The full list of recipients can be found here.
Ticket ○ Reserve your free ticket for this week’s Creative Morningstoday at 11 a.m. The theme is underdog + the featured speaker is Cortina Jenelle Caldwell. It will take place over Zoom on July 31 at 9 a.m. 🎟️
