Appalachian Rural Homelessness: The Case of Watauga County, North Carolina

This work explores the historical record, as well as recent trends in the provision of care to homeless individuals throughout Appalachia. The focus is primarily on rural homelessness. Site visits to shelter providers throughout the region, along with a survey of prevailing trends at additional shelters allows for the exploration of common aspects of development as well as sub-regional differences. Of note is a strong trend of shelter creation during the late 1980s through the mid 1990s, usually serving multiple counties surrounding developing sub-urban areas. Shelters were formed by multi-disciplinary community involvement, often led by faith coalitions.