Thrive Asheville

Thrive creates Pilot Programs and provides backbone support for our partner agencies in the community. By knitting together the resources of local government, landlords, and tenant advocates, Thrive piloted a comprehensive solution called the Landlord Tenant Partnership. This program makes accepting housing vouchers more profitable, more secure and more efficient for landlords and provides ongoing coaching and support so that families can succeed in new settings. More than 80% of the first 50 families succeeded in their new housing opportunities and more than 100 children benefited from access to safe housing during the pilot phase of the program. As a result of this success, Thrive has scaled up our leadership and formed the Buncombe Rental Assistance Collaborative. Now, Thrive convenes five other critical housing agencies who serve veterans, the unhoused, survivors of domestic violence and the chronically ill. Rather than competing for new housing, we are working together to raise the standards of support for both tenants and landlords across these agencies. Together with our partners we have placed more than 110 households - more than 250 people - into safer housing. Learn more about our work at buff.ly/3w2PVvd and https://buff.ly/3xdUIdN

Thrive collaborates to impact issues that shape our community. We bring together community advocates, policymakers, and professionals from diverse backgrounds to learn about our problems and find solutions to our city’s toughest challenges. We work with representatives of government, business and nonprofits to get out of silos and find common ground. Learn more about our work at buff.ly/3w2PVvd

One of Thrive’s unique roles in the community is to perform research and data analysis that provides useful information to inform decisions at multiple levels. In the housing sector, we analyzed existing data from the City of Asheville and produced a report called Opening Doors that reviewed how city investments can make access to housing more equitable. In the tourism sector, we gathered 34 community leaders to learn about sustainable tourism over 9-months. We hosted researchers and practitioners who are recognized globally and explored how other popular destinations are responding to increasing visitation, and we produced a report highlighting our findings called Destination Stewardship: Balancing Tourism and Local Resident Needs. You can read these reports here: https://buff.ly/3VfwrvY

When Thrive leaders wanted to understand more about what drives rapid change in our community, we knew a great place to start was to understand more deeply the impacts of tourism. Tourism floods our community with more than $2B in revenue each year, fueling economic growth, supporting a myriad of amenities and local businesses, and straining our infrastructure and displacing local residents. We wanted to know: How can we shape our tourism economy to build a more resilient and equitable community? Thrive gathered 34 community leaders over nine months to study, propose actions, and think of ways to offer support. From this work, the Greater Access To Tourism Entrepreneurship (GATE) program was created. Learn more about GATE at buff.ly/3w2PVvd or https://buff.ly/4ead5kE

Thrive is an “incubator for community solutions.” Our unique role includes: Research and data analysis: we provide useful information to inform decisions Convening: we bring together people from varying perspectives to learn together Collaboration: we coordinate organizations and leaders for increased impact Pilot projects: we identify and test potential solutions, and then bring promising projects to scale with the goal of permanently embedding successful solutions in the community. Stay in touch with Thrive’s work by signing up for email updates at buff.ly/3w2PVvd

Thrive is an unusual kind of nonprofit. We are not a single issue - we are an approach to community problem-solving. How do we work? Learn about complex challenges Identify what’s working here and elsewhere Identify potential solutions and adapt them to our local situation Pilot solutions Advocate for continued support of what works Learn more about us at buff.ly/3w2PVvd

Happy Memorial Day! Today, we remember the brave heroes who served our country. Their sacrifice reminds us of the importance of building a strong, united community where everyone thrives. At Thrive's Landlord Tenant Program (LTP), we honor this legacy by serving families and children – our future. LTP ensures safe and stable housing for children, one of our most vulnerable populations. Research confirms that stable housing empowers children to avoid many future hardships. To honor our past, we can build a future where every child has the foundation they deserve. Learn more about Thrive's Housing work at https://buff.ly/4apSypb #Thrive #MemorialDay #Community #SafeHousing #StrongFutures

Thrive is an incubator for community solutions. Our current issues meet specific criteria: They involve working with the local government. They affect equity issues in our community. They have something to do with the effects of growth and change in our community. Both tourism and affordable housing are causes and effects of the changes in our community and they require collaboration with local government and other sectors. Thrive’s work is to convene, collaborate, and support in ways that make a sizable impact. Learn more about Thrive’s work at thriveavl.org

What do we mean when we talk about Sustainable Tourism? Sustainable tourism truly benefits residents by creating a thriving tourism economy and protecting our environment and our assets in a way that we can continue to have a robust tourism economy long into the future.. Thrive wants all of our neighbors to have access to the tourism sector, and we focus on collaborating with our neighbors who wouldn't have otherwise had access to those dollars to support and sustain an inclusive tourism economy in our community. Learn more about the Greater Access to Tourism Entrepreneurship program that we are supporting at https://buff.ly/3WL24zX @blackwallstreetavl

Imagine an Asheville where: Residents thrive, not just survive; where tourism brings economic benefits and housing is accessible to all. Thrive Asheville's Housing Work partners with local agencies to provide safe and stable housing for our neighbors in need, helping to ensure residents can stay in the city they call home. Tourism benefits everyone: visitors experience Asheville's beauty and amazing restaurants, shops, galleries, and natural features. Thrive supports organizations that expand access and inclusion in the tourism market. Our support of the Greater Access to Tourism Entrepreneurship helps increase capacity for BIPOC business owners to be an engaged and successful part of Asheville’s tourism economy. Thrive Asheville strives to make Asheville a more accessible and welcoming city for everyone. Learn more about our work at thriveavl.org