First Tuesday Asheville

Date Submitted: July 15, 2025

Submitted By: Jim Fulton (or Anonymous)

Category(s) Selected:

• Misuse of Public Funds and Resources
• Public Health and Safety Concerns

Subject: Request for Audit of NC Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) Program

I am submitting this tip to urge a performance and financial audit of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot

(HOP) program managed by the NC Department of Health and Human Services and locally

administered by Impact Health across Western North Carolina.

The program has delivered over $57 million in taxpayer-funded services since its launch in 2022 and an additional $18 million in nonprofit capacity-building grants, yet:

• No county-level breakdowns of how the money has been used are publicly available.
• No published performance metrics or independently verified outcomes have been released.
• Nonprofit "Human Service Organizations" (HSOs) receiving funds are not subject to clear public accountability or evaluation mechanisms.

Despite this, local officials-such as Buncombe County Commissioners-are lobbying the General

Assembly to make the program permanent without offering measurable justification for continued investment.

I respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough audit of the program's finances, impacts,

and oversight procedures to ensure taxpayer funds are being used responsibly and effectively.

Thank you for your work on behalf of North Carolina taxpayers.