West Asheville youth nonprofit sees surge in demand after Helene
KL Training Solutions said it is serving more than 160 children this summer, with 67 on a waiting list after Helene and the end of PODS left West Asheville families with fewer options.
As school let out and Helene recovery continued to strain Buncombe County families, KL Training Solutions said its West Asheville programs filled up fast. The nonprofit said it was caring for more than 160 children this summer and had a waiting list of another 67, a surge that followed the shutdown of a major after-school program and a broader thinning of youth supports.
KL Training Solutions, which works with children and young adults ages 5 through 27, began in 2012 as a men’s discussion group in one West Asheville apartment complex. It has since grown into a mentorship and enrichment operation that includes workforce training, cultural programming and youth development efforts such as My Daddy Taught Me That, My Sister Taught Me That and the KL Impact Academy.
Keynon Lake and Jacquelyn Lake said demand rose sharply after Tropical Storm Helene and after regional youth programming cuts left families with fewer options. Jacquelyn Lake said the nonprofit opened its doors to about 63 additional students on short notice, and that its summer camp was now 67 percent larger than it had been last year.
The pressure reflects more than one organization’s growing reputation. Buncombe County’s after-action report described Helene as the most devastating natural disaster in the region’s history, with 43 deaths in the county, more than 60 percent of county properties damaged, 372 homes destroyed and more than 11,000 needing significant repairs. Asheville’s municipal water system was disrupted for 53 days.
The loss of the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s PODS after-school and summer programming made the gap more visible. On April 7, 2026, the housing authority said it was cutting 34 employees, about 21 percent of its workforce, and expected to save about $1.6 million a year. It also said 22 positions tied to PODS would be eliminated as it moved away from that program, which had required about $500,000 in annual operating costs and had no identified long-term funding source.
The wider recovery picture has been just as stark for children and families. A June 2025 CASPER survey from Buncombe County and the state health department found behavioral health was the most common ongoing need after Helene, with 45.7 percent of households reporting at least one new or worsening symptom and 17.6 percent saying they needed help but did not receive it. Buncombe County Schools reported 1,136 homeless students by Nov. 13, 2024, up from 254 before the storm, while Asheville City Schools reported 203 homeless students by Nov. 25, including 69 identified because of Helene.
Even the county budget showed the squeeze. Commissioners approved a $433.1 million fiscal 2026 budget on June 3, 2025, after an $11.4 million revenue drop. The plan set aside $121.8 million for Asheville City Schools, Buncombe County Schools and A-B Tech, but it also cut $4.6 million from community investments.
For KL Training Solutions, the result has been a role that now looks part youth center, part emergency support system. The waiting list suggests the need in West Asheville is still outrunning the capacity available to meet it.
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