News

N.C.’s child welfare agency confirms Absher never had license to run a shelter

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 22, 2025

Michael Lee Absher, the founder and operator of a shelter for homeless teen-agers who is now charged with sexually abusing children at the shelter, was allowed to operate the non-profit for years despite never having a license, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Friday.

In an emailed response to questions from the Lightning, the state agency in charge of child welfare also confirmed that it never took any action against Absher for operating Only Hope WNC, Inc., without a license, despite sending him cease-and-desist letters threatening legal action in 2017 and 2019.
“The action taken was to issue the cease-and-desist letters in 2017 and 2019. No additional action was taken,” according to the email from DHHS.
Henderson County’s Board of County Commissioners also funded Only Hope for years after learning of the 2017 cease-and-desist letter, records show.
Absher, who is also a former member of Henderson County’s School Board, remained in the county jail under a $650,000 secured bond on Friday on charges he sexually abused children at the shelter he founded 13 years ago.
After an investigation by Henderson County Sheriff’s Department, 35-year-old Absher was charged in July with two counts of first-degree statutory sexual offense of a child younger than 15. Additional warrants filed in August charged Absher with two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and seven counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Some of the crimes Absher is accused of occurred at the Only Hope shelter where he also lived at 416 Allen Road in East Flat Rock, according to search warrants issued in the case.
In a letter from DHHS dated June 20, 2017, the state child welfare agency said it had determined that Only Hope was operating as an unlicensed child placing agency as well as operating as an unlicensed residential child care facility serving children younger than 18.
The letter quotes state law that requires a license to operate a residential care facility for children before telling Absher to obtain a license or stop operating the facility.
“This letter serves as notice to immediately cease and desist from operating as a Child Placing Agency and Residential Care Facility in North Carolina until a license is obtained,” according to the 2017 DHHS letter. “If Only Hope WNC continues to operate as a Child Placing Agency and Residential Care Facility without obtaining proper licensure, the Division of Social Services will take legal action.”
In response to the cease-and-desist letter from DHHS, Michael Edney, who is the current vice chair of the board of commissioners and was the board’s chair at the time, wrote Absher a letter dated Oct. 18, 2017.
In the letter, Edney said that the board had requested in August that year that Absher inform the county when he received proper state licensing for Only Hope to ensure county funding for the organization in 2018.
Edney’s letter quotes Absher’s response: “We subsequently received a letter from Only Hope in which you stated that ‘at this time, all investigations have been closed, and we are currently not under any open investigations or corrective actions with DSS or DHHS. Only Hope has not and will not provide ‘foster care’ or operate a ‘residential child care facility’ as defined in the June 20,2017 letter DHHS (referencing G.S. 131D-10.2).’”
Edney’s letter to Absher then said that DHHS could not confirm the assertions he made about the operations of Only Hope.
As a result, Edney’s letter goes on to say the county would withhold grant funding from Only Hope until it received verifiable information that the shelter had a proper license or did not provide services that required a license.
DHHS sent a similar cease and desist letter to Absher in 2019.
In a letter dated May 21, 2019, DHHS told Absher it had information that he admitted to housing homeless children and that the average stay was four or five months. The letter asks Absher to inform them within 10 days if the statements attributed to him were inaccurate.
The 2019 letter referenced the 2017 warning before again telling Absher to cease and desist from operating a shelter without a license. The 2019 letter also warned Absher that under state law he could also face criminal charges for operating the shelter without a license.
“If Only Hope WNC, Inc. continues to operate, establish or provide foster care for children without a license or receive and place children in a Residential Child Care Facility without obtaining appropriate licensure, the Division of Social Services will seek appropriate legal action,” according to the 2019 letter.
Attempts to reach Edney for comment on his 2017 letter to Absher and the county’s decision to continue funding Only Hope despite the organization having no license to operate were unsuccessful on Friday.
Henderson County suspended funding for the shelter after Absher’s arrest.
“At the direction of the county manager, funding for Only Hope has been suspended until further notice,” according to a statement the county issued shortly after Absher’s arrest. “Mr. Absher has also been suspended by the county from any volunteer activities until a decision can be made later by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners.”
The $35,000 commissioners approved for Only Hope was for the fiscal year 2025/2026, which began on July 1, 2025.
The county provides quarterly funding and $8,750 was sent to Only Hope in July, according to the county’s statement.
Since 2018, county taxpayers had given the agency $213,000.
In the past three years, the City of Hendersonville has appropriated $15,825 to Only Hope. The city council approved a $3,000 grant for the current fiscal year. Contracts for payment of the special appropriations funding are typically not finalized until late August or September.
“Only Hope WNC’s contract has not yet been drafted, so the approved amount of $3,000 is on hold,” city spokeswoman Brandy Heatherly said recently.
Citing the cease-and-desist letters, Henderson County School Board member Amy Lynn Hold urged county commissioners at the board’s meeting on Wednesday to stop funding Only Hope because it never had a license to operate as a shelter for children.
In an interview after the meeting, Holt called for an investigation into how DHHS handled the situation involving Absher and Only Hope.
“They failed our children,” she said. “I want an investigation opened up to see how this happened and how we can ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Henderson County’s Department of Social Services Director Lorie Horne, also in an emailed response to questions from the Lightning, on Friday said that her office learned in 2017 and 2019 of the cease-and-desist letters sent from the state to Only Hope.
DSS in Henderson County did not have the authority to take action against Only Hope, she said in the email
“A local DSS does not have the authority to close a facility and if a facility only serves young adults over 18 years old, no license is required” she said. “If the department receives a report of an unlicensed facility providing foster care to minor children, we would refer that report to DHHS Regulatory and Licensing. If we received a report that children were being abused, neglected or dependent by a parent, guardian, or caretaker in an unlicensed facility we would investigate and refer to DHHS Regulatory and Licensing.”
Henderson County’s department could not place children in need of care at Only Hope because the shelter lacked a state license, Horne said in the email.
“Only Hope was never open to provide foster care for children under the age of 18 years old,” Horne said.
The Board of Directors of Only Hope WNC Inc. removed Absher from “all positions of authority” and banned him from the organization's home for teen-aged boys, which is also Absher’s residence, the nonprofit said in a statement Monday.
In her comments to commissioners, Holt said she had been concerned about Absher for a long time.
“I have long been speaking out against Michael Absher since 2017 and the fact that he had no business around minors,” she said. “I realize the board has just separated from him, but that still does not curb the fact that they have no license to have minors within their care.”
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Absher 13 years ago, Only Hope WNC says its mission is to promote the value of education, honor individuality and diversity, nurture respect for self and others and provide hope for young people in need in the community.