Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ) Asheville, NC

Webmaster – Gary Chesser: The following is an update, as of 1/24/25, on the Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ), post hurricane Helen, from Brandon Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM):

1. Hurricane Impact
• On September 27^th Western North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Helene causing catastrophic damage to the region. ABCCM’s Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ) were evacuated in the early morning hours, as residents were displaced to three different emergency shelters, WNC Agricultural Center, Harrah’s Event Center, and AB Tech Community College. All Veterans were safe, and no one was injured during the storm.
• The VRQ however was filled with mud and water, with some rooms experiencing over 6 feet of water. Due to the extreme strength of the water and the debris The VRQ sustained a devastating loss of infrastructure and loss of contents.
• ABCCM lost seven vehicles, and many Veterans lost their cars in the storm.
2. Initial Relief Efforts
• On September 30th, ABCCM leadership visited all Veterans in the shelters to assess their needs and begin exploring options for non-congregate shelter. This decision was driven by a commitment to uphold the safety and integrity of ABCCM's mission to support Veterans. It addressed growing concerns about increased anxiety, mental health challenges, and the unique needs of Veterans in recovery, ensuring they received the necessary care and stability.
• October 5^th ABCCM negotiated terms for 84 rooms at the Quality Inn on Tunnel Rd and on October 7^th staff begin relocating Veterans from the shelters to the Quality Inn. This cost is ($188k monthly)
• October 10^th all 168 Veterans were relocated to the Quality Inn and are presently being provided with case management, cook teams began serving meals to the Veterans at the Quality Inn.
3. Cleanup and Restoration
• Team Rubicon a Veteran led disaster relief non-profit began conducting the mucking out of the VRQ at no cost, removing all mud, debris, damaged walls and ceilings. (This was started after an engineer inspected and verified the building was structurally sound.) This project ran from October 7^th – November 30^th, 2024.
• The ACTS building where ABCCM conducted community training and where Code Purple was conducted was completely lost and Team Rubicon conducted a demolition at no cost.
• FEMA along with the Army Corps of Engineers completed the pickup of all the debris on the property during the first week of December.
• Carefree Restoration was employed for the final cleaning and mold remediation and abatement and completed this project January 19^th, 2025, making the VRQ build back ready.
4. Building Assessment and Future Plans
• Architectural and design plans will be completed in January for the restoration and rebuild. This will be a phased restoration and is anticipated to be a 12–20-month project.
• ABCCM’s FEMA application is due January 27^th as leadership is hopeful that FEMA and NC will support the restoration costs.
5. Exploration of Quality Inn Purchase
• October 7^th, ABCCM began exploring the feasibility of purchasing the Quality Inn, leveraging already earmarked funding from Congress. HUD approved this amendment and project on December 10^th.
• ABCCM is in continuous talks with the owners and is working to purchase the Quality Inn as this will increase capacity for the community as VRQ is restored.
6. Funding and Grants
• ABCCM is planning to launch a capital campaign for the restoration of the VRQ in the spring of 2025 to ensure that this campus and Veterans are back online as soon as possible.
• Generous donations and support from individuals and groups have been and will continue to be instrumental in aiding every aspect of the VRQ's restoration efforts in the aftermath of this storm.