More aid is now available to homeowners and businesses in western North Carolina that suffered losses from Hurricane Helene last September.
People whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm may now be able to apply for a new program to help them repair or rebuild their homes.
Democrat Gov. Josh Stein announced Monday that the state is now accepting applications for the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program.
The program is the first of a series of recovery initiatives to be offered by the North Carolina Commerce Department’s Division of Community Revitalization under the program name Renew NC.
“Helene caused significant damage to thousands of homes across western North Carolina,” the governor said in a press release. “There is a lot of work to do, and the Renew NC Housing program is the next step in helping western North Carolinians recover. If your home was damaged by Hurricane Helene, you may be eligible for assistance depending on your income, so I encourage you to apply today.”
Low-to-moderate income homeowners from the following eligible counties are eligible: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg (only from zip code 28214), Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.
Later this year, two additional Renew NC Housing programs will be offered to address multi-family housing and workforce housing for ownership. Infrastructure and Economic Revitalization programs will also be launched in the coming months.
The Renew NC programs are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of the total $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding that was allocated to the state for western North Carolina recovery needs, $807 million is allocated to the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program.
Homeowners can check their eligibility and apply for housing repair or reconstruction at www.renewnc.org or call 1-888-791-0207. More information about Renew NC programs can be found at the Division of Community Revitalization’s website, CommerceRecovery.nc.gov.
Second and final round of interest-free helene cashflow loans approved
Meanwhile, North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner also announced in a press release on Monday that local governments in the western part of the state have been notified of their approval for the second and final round of interest-free Cashflow Loans for Hurricane Helene relief.
This round of loans uses the remaining $34.4 million from the $100 million cashflow loan program under SB 382, Disaster Recovery Act of 2024, which became law in December. Its goal is to help local governments whose communities were devastated by Hurricane Helene while they wait for federal money to arrive. The administration of the program was assigned to the state treasurer’s office.
More than $73 million was distributed in February in the first round of interest-free loans.
A full list of local governments receiving loans in Round 2 can be found here.
Round 2 of the funds was set aside the same month at the request of local governments who needed more time to assess damages and get their paperwork completed. Many local governments requested additional funding due the extent of their damages, ongoing cleanup and cashflow needs while seeking resources through more traditional means, like FEMA.
The loans must be repaid in five years.
“We have not forgotten about the ongoing needs in Western North Carolina,” Briner said in the release. “We are pleased to send more help to the communities in need as they are working to get their communities rebuilt.”
The treasurer’s office has worked with the North Carolina League of Municipalities and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners to administer the loans.
The post Aid on the way to homeowners, businesses in western NC first appeared on Carolina Journal.
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Author: Theresa Opeka
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