The Haywood Street Congregation

What The Haywood Street Congregation does

The Haywood Street Congregation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization founded in 2010 by Rev. Brian Combs in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, that serves people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and marginalization through a portfolio of interconnected ministries. Its core programs include the Downtown Welcome Table (a community meal program served family-style with china and fresh flowers), Haywood Street Respite (the first medical respite program in the Asheville area, established in 2012-2013 in partnership with Mission Hospital for adults recovering from hospitalization), the Companion Volunteer Ministry, Haywood Street Housing (a 2024-launched housing initiative), weekly worship services, and the Haywood Street Fresco — a sanctuary-scale fresco by Christopher Holt depicting the Beatitudes with homeless and formerly homeless congregants as figures.

The organization has 11-50 employees across three Asheville locations and operates on a donation-funded model: individual and recurring donations (processed through DonorPerfect), planned giving instruments (charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder annuity trusts, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, and legacy gifts), merchandise sales, and event fundraising including the 11th annual Golf for Awareness tournament and participation in Biltmore's Birdies for Charity program. Distribution is entirely direct and in-person, with no digital product, API, or platform layer. Strategic priorities are signaled by an ongoing Respite expansion (groundbreaking February 2024, nearing completion mid-2026, designed by Rowhouse Architecture), the new Housing initiative, and a formal ECHO community-engagement team launched in 2026.

Name

The Haywood Street Congregation

Legal name

The Haywood Street Congregation

Website

https://haywoodstreet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-based community services and homeless outreach

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Faith-based community services
• Homeless services
• Medical respite care
• Community meal programs
• Affordable housing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville, North Carolina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue stream through direct donations from individuals, including one-time and recurring gifts. The organization uses DonorPerfect for online giving.
2. Planned Giving Programs: Accepts charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder annuity trusts, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, and legacy gifts through wills and trusts.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sells branded merchandise including apparel and items featuring the Haywood Street branding.
4. Event Fundraising: Annual Golf for Awareness event (11th year) generates sponsorship revenue and registrations. Also participates in Biltmore's Birdies for Charity program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Haywood Street Congregation is a non-profit church in downtown Asheville, NC that provides free community ministries to people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Its core offerings include the Downtown Welcome Table community meal program, Haywood Street Respite (medical respite care for homeless adults post-hospitalization), Haywood Street Housing, Companion Volunteer Ministry, weekly worship services, and the Haywood Street Fresco art program. All services are delivered free of charge and funded through donations, planned giving, merchandise, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Haywood Street Congregation operates as a community-focused church organization offering multiple interconnected ministry programs. The core offerings include the Downtown Welcome Table (community meal program), Haywood Street Respite (medical respite for homeless individuals), Companion Volunteer Ministry, Haywood Street Housing, and Haywood Street Fresco (an art ministry featuring a large fresco mural). The organization also provides worship services, art ministry, clothing resources, and various support programs for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in Asheville, NC. These programs are unified by the mission of 'Relationship, above all else' and focus on radical hospitality and inclusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Downtown Welcome Table: Community meal program serving lunch to all who enter, operating several days per week with restaurant partner involvement.
• Haywood Street Respite
• Haywood Street Housing
• Haywood Street Fresco

Products and services

• Downtown Welcome Table A community meal program that provides hot, family-style meals to people experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, and social isolation in downtown Asheville. Meals are served on china with fresh flowers to communicate dignity.
• Haywood Street Respite A medical respite program providing 24-hour care and a safe place for adults experiencing homelessness to rest and recover following surgery, illness, or hospitalization. Includes supportive services and pathways to permanent housing.
• Haywood Street Housing A housing initiative providing safe, dignified, and affordable housing options for community members, including those transitioning out of homelessness.
• Companion (Volunteer) Ministry A volunteer ministry that matches trained companions with individuals experiencing homelessness, providing relationship-based support, accompaniment, and service through group and individual volunteer opportunities.
• Worship Services Weekly worship services held on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, with welcome visits for new visitors at 9:00 or 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays.
• Haywood Street Fresco A monumental fresco mural spanning an entire sanctuary wall depicting the Beatitudes with homeless and formerly homeless congregants as figures, painted by principal artist Christopher Holt. Available for viewing Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Quantifiable outcome

• First medical respite program established in the Asheville area
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mission HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Mission Hospital partnered with Haywood Street Board to establish the first medical respite program in the Asheville area, creating a place where adults experiencing homelessness could recover following surgery or hospitalization.
• 828 Family PizzeriaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant partner that provides meals for the Downtown Welcome Table. Cooked baked ziti and salad for the community meal program.
• Luella's Bar-B-QueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant partner that has been joining 828 Family Pizzeria annually to host the Downtown Welcome Table for over ten years. Cooked smoked chicken and white bean stew.
• Cross ConnectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization that brings groups from all over the country to be in community with Haywood Street during summer months. Students learn what 'relationship, above all else' looks like and participate in lunch service.
• Asheville Youth MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth mission organization that partners with Haywood Street during summer months for service experiences where students learn about the ministry and practice companionship.
• Central United Methodist ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church in downtown Asheville where Jerry, a valued Haywood Street community member, is employed doing essential handiwork.
• Givens CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership mentioned for providing community connections and support services for Haywood Street ministry participants.
• Walnut Cove Members AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization that hosts events bringing together grant recipients and community members, including staff from Haywood Street.
• Rowhouse ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm responsible for the Respite renovation and expansion rendering and design work.
• Biltmore Championship AshevilleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected as participating nonprofit in Biltmore's Birdies for Charity program, providing opportunity for donations with chance to win Ultimate Biltmore Experience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glide Memorial Church: San Francisco-based congregation founded on radical inclusion of homeless, poor, and marginalized people, with daily meals, worship, and social services. Operates a comparable ministry model to Haywood Street's Downtown Welcome Table, worship, and companion-style services.
• Catholic Worker Movement: Network of faith-based houses of hospitality offering meals, shelter, and community to homeless and poor people. Shares Haywood Street's relationship-first, volunteer-powered model.
• Church of the Common Ground: Atlanta-based inclusive congregation explicitly ministering to homeless and marginalized people, with shared worship and meals. Directly comparable niche congregation model serving an unhoused community.
• The Night Ministry: Chicago nonprofit rooted in faith-based outreach serving homeless youth and adults via evening meals, case management, and shelter referrals. Closely matches Haywood Street's relationship-based outreach to people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National network of faith-based social service agencies providing housing, food, and community support to vulnerable populations. Overlaps with Haywood Street's housing, meal, and respite services at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Union Rescue Mission: Los Angeles-based faith-based nonprofit providing meals, emergency shelter, recovery, and long-term housing for homeless individuals. Comparable faith-rooted service portfolio at significantly larger scale.
• Father Joe's Villages: Large San Diego nonprofit operating a full continuum of housing, meals, healthcare, and recovery services for people experiencing homelessness. A scaled incumbent analog to Haywood Street's emerging respite-housing continuum.
• The Salvation Army: National faith-based nonprofit operating meals, shelter, addiction recovery, and social services. Broad incumbent analog operating at national scale across the same service domains as Haywood Street.

Emerging players

• Community First! Village: Austin-based master-planned community providing affordable housing and support services to people coming out of chronic homelessness, operated by Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Highly relevant peer to Haywood Street Housing initiative and the dignity-centered model.
• Thistle Farms / Magdalene: Nashville faith-rooted nonprofit operating residential recovery, social enterprise, and community for women survivors of trafficking, addiction, and homelessness. Comparable faith-based model with a strong hospitality and dignity-centered brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7DlL0QgaXGPsYCUj2_svmw
• Facebookfacebook.com/haywoodstreet
• Instagraminstagram.com/haywoodstreetcongregation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-haywood-street-congregation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Haywood Street Congregation