With a Jan. 31 application deadline approaching, North Carolina officials say just 14 homes have been completed and 86 grants awarded under an $807 million federally funded housing recovery program created in response to Hurricane Helene.
“North Carolina is committed to helping families who lost their homes during Hurricane Helene recover,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a press release. “Renew NC’s Single-Family Housing Program is getting people back into safe and restored homes, and we want to ensure every eligible homeowner has the opportunity to apply before the January 31 deadline.”
A housing rehabilitation, reconstruction, replacement, and reimbursement program available to homeowners, the Single-Family Housing Program (SFHP) is a centralized initiative of Renew NC. The program prioritizes low- to moderate-income families with seniors 62 and older, children 18 and under, and/or household members who are disabled.
Homeowners in 28 counties are eligible for the program: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey — and one ZIP code in Mecklenburg County (28214).
The program has received more than 7,500 applications for housing recovery assistance to date, and almost one-third are currently under review for eligibility. Seventy-four projects are in the preconstruction phase, and 86 homeowners have been awarded grants.
The program completed 14 construction projects for homeowners in Buncombe, Cleveland, Gastonia, Henderson, McDowell, Polk, and Wilkes counties. These projects include three reconstructions, four rehabilitations, and seven replacements.
Currently under construction are 15 Renew NC construction projects, one replacement, two rehabilitations, and 12 reconstructions in Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, and Watauga counties.
If homeowners have already received Helene-related assistance through FEMA or a home insurance policy, they are still eligible to apply for the SFHP. The program is designed to address housing recovery needs remaining after all other assistance has been exhausted, according to the press release.
When the Jan. 31 deadline passes, Renew NC will refocus its efforts reviewing applications, determining budget needs, and assisting qualified applicants in proceeding efficiently through the remaining review and construction processes.
Programs under Renew NC, such as the SFHP, are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are administered under the NC Department of Commerce’s (NCDOC) Division of Community Revitalization (DCR). Out of the $1.4 billion allocated for post-Hurricane Helene recovery needs in western North Carolina, $807 million is allocated to the SFHP.
Homeowners can apply for assistance in the following ways:
- Visit RenewNC.org
- Call 1-888-791-0207
- Email [email protected]
- Through the Renew NC mobile app (Google Play Store or Apple App Store)
- In-person at a local Renew NC intake center; locations and hours can be found here.
