Planning & Development Area Agency on Aging
Community-Based Services (includes HCCBG, ARPA and Supplemental Nutrition)
• 45,148 Congregate Meals Served
• 105,176 Home Delivered Meals Served
• 29,034 In Home Aide Hours Served
• 25,704 Transportation Trips Served
• 2,489 Total People Served
• 1,087 Total People Served at or Below Poverty Line
• 711 Total People Served 85+
• 300 Hours of Legal Assistance Served
• $2,611,364 Total Regional Community Based Service Expenditures
Evidence-Based Health Promotion
Class Participant Data:
• 29 Total Classes Offered
• 295 Class Participants
• 163 Participants Completed a Class Classes Offered:
• Powerful Tools for Caregivers
• Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention: Parts 1 and 2
• A Matter of Balance
• Walk With Ease
• Chronic Disease SelfManagement
Family Caregiver Support Program
• 54 Caregivers Served
• $24,000+ Awarded to Caregivers for Respite Care Needs
• $8,000+ Awarded to Caregivers for Supplemental
• $15,000+ Awarded to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren for Financial
• 30+ Individual Deliveries of Donated Supplies to Older Adults and Caregivers After Helene
• 95 Individuals Attended FCSP-Supported Educational Programs and Events
Lifespan Respite Program
• 276 Vouchers Awarded
Critical Infrastructure
• Boone Water Tank CDBG Administration
• Spruce Pine OSBM Grant for Highway 226 Water Tanks$1,000,000
• Solicitation of New Transportation Projects from Local Governments for Funding Consideration in the 2028-2037 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
• Stormwater Improvements, Spruce Pine, Small Biz Infrastructure (DOC)$1,000,000
• Water Pump Station, Spruce Pine, ARC$700,000
• Stormwater Management, West Jefferson, Water Resources Development Grant - $200,000
• Strategic Transportation Investments Prioritization 8.0 Workgroup and Modernization Subcommittee
Economic and Community Development
• NCDIT Digital Champion Grant
• Grant Oversight and Coordination for 10 Subgrantees Totaling $312,600 from NCDIT Digital Champion Grant
• Avery County CDBG-NR – Senior Center Project$5,000,000
• WPCOG & HCCOGDecentralized Wastewater Treatment System Repair Program - $4,430,880 (HCCOG Portion)
• Ashe County Industrial Park Shell building – Golden Leaf - Additional Funding$1,075,000
• Yancey County CDBG-NR – Housing Rehabilitation/ Replacement - $4,000,000
Workforce Development
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Services
• 5,099: Total # of Individual Customers Receiving Services Through NCWorks.gov and NCWorks Career Centers
• 6: Average # of Services Provided to Each Customer
• 279: Total # of Individuals Receiving Intensive Services
• 79 Youth Received Intensive Services
º 38 Participated in Skills Training
º 35 Earned Credentials
º 61 Received Services that Provide Labor Market/Employment Information
º 21 Participated in Work Based Learning
Hurricane Recovery Employment
• Agriculture Feasibility Studies, Wilkes County, Ag. Development Trust Fund$245,000
• Mitchell Agricultural Center, Mitchell County, Ag. Development Trust Fund$500,000
• Mitchell Agricultural Center, Mitchell County, Tobacco Trust Fund - $500,000
• Mitchell Agricultural Center, Mitchell County, Golden LEAF - $500,000
• Ashe Agricultural Center Grant Administration for Tobacco Trust, Goldenleaf, Ag. Development Trust Fund, & ARC
• $123,550.76 Worth of Voucher Reimbursements to Caregivers Parks and Recreation/Environmental
Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
• 412 Technical Assistances
• 168 Visits to Facilities
• 116 Complaints
• 68 Cases
Home Modification for Falls Prevention Program
• Program Began in June 2025 With Plans for Home Safety Assessments and Low-Cost, High Impact Modifications for Falls Prevention
• Watauga Middle Fork Greenway- Recreational Trails Programadministration along with PARTF, Div. of Water Resources
• Kerr Scott Reservoir 205j Grant for Restoration$96,000
• Cove Creek Park Improvements, Land and Water Conservation Fund, Watauga County$494,000
• 58 Dislocated Workers Performed Hurricane Recovery Work
• 18 Work Sites Supported with Disaster Recovery Work
• 151 Adults and Dislocated Workers Served
º 106 Training Services Provided
º 39 Earned Credentials
º 10 Received On-theJob Training/Work Experience
ARPA Funding
• 45 Individuals Served in Substance Use Recovery Services
• 25 Individuals Served in Work Based Learning Services
Average Unemployment Rate: 3.25% (not seasonally adjusted)
Largest Training Sector: Healthcare Workforce by the Numbers
• 1,000 High Country Employers Were Served by the NCWorks System
• 5,700 Services Were Provided to High Country Employers Through the NCWorks System
• 1,440 Local Jobs Were Posted Using NCWorks Online
• 6,211 Job Referrals Provided to Job Seekers via NCWorks
• 73 Employers Supported by Work Based Learning Activities via On-the-Job Training and Internships
• 27 Hiring Events Hosted for Local Employers
• 1,207 Job Seekers Attended Local Hiring Events
• $818,000 Provided Directly Towards Wages for WorkBased Learning Services
Other Projects/Accomplishments
• Received and Implemented National Dislocated Worker Grant in Response to Hurricane Helene to Provide Temporary Employment Opportunities Related to Hurricane Recovery
• Received Specialized Funds to Support Layoff Aversion for Businesses Impacted by Hurricane Helene
• Received Additional ARPA Funding to Support Work Based Learning to Serve Small Businesses
• Successfully Implemented Specialized Dogwood Grant Focused on Work Based Learning
• Partnership that Resulted in the Distribution of Approximately 200 Digital Devices to Support Employment/Education Services
Planning & Development Cont.
• Crossnore Comprehensive Plan
• Begin Spruce Pine Zoning Ordinance Overhaul
• Begin Wilkes County UDO Development
• Finalized Watauga County Community Understanding Report (CUR)
• Initiated Watauga County Comprehensive Plan
• Finalized Ashe County Comprehensive Transportation Plan
• Finalized Alleghany County Comprehensive Transportation Plan
• Initiation of Region 4 Travel Demand Model (TDM) for Wilkes, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, and Avery Counties
• Mitchell County Transportation New Transit Facility Feasibility Study Site Selection Steering Committee
• Pay Study, Elk Park
• Interlocal Agreement, Alleghany EDC
GIS - Public Safety
• Next Generation 911 GIS Technical Support/ Maintenance for Avery Wilkes, Yancey Counties, & Town of Beech Mountain
• Wilkesboro Fire Department GIS Mapping Services Reports, Studies, Plans
GIS - Planning and Technical Assistance
• Utility System (sewer, stormwater, and water systems) GIS database and Field Application Maintenance for North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Burnsville, West Jefferson, and Newland
• Watauga County Gateway Corridor Plan Web Map Maintenance
• Ashe County Economic Development Web Application Maintenance
• Create the Wilkes County Outdoor Economy StoryMap for The Health Foundation Partnering with Wilkes County, Town of North Wilkesboro, and Town of Wilkesboro
• Annual GIS Support for Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro, Spruce Pine, and West Jefferson to Maintain Local Government GIS data (including, but not limited to zoning, town limits, trail, and sidewalk data), and Manage Various Public Web Application Products and Internal Town Staff Field Applications
• GIS Services and Support for Wilkes EDC – Maintain Hosted Web Application for Internal Staff Use and Create Infographics for Special Projects
Housing
• Awarded Urgent Repair Program 2026 Grant for Housing Repair in Alleghany, Ashe, and Wilkes Counties - $300,000
• Awarded Access to the Essential Single Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool 2027 for Housing Rehabilitation in Wilkes County$182,000
• Assisted Ashe County with Submitting a CDBG-NR Application for Scattered-Site Housing Replacements
