Today, Renew NC, North Carolina’s disaster recovery program, is reminding homeowners in western North Carolina that the deadline to apply for housing recovery assistance through the Single-Family Housing Program is fast approaching. Applications must be submitted to Renew NC by January 31 and can be completed online, in person, or over the phone.
"North Carolina is committed to helping families who lost their homes during Hurricane Helene recover," said Governor Josh Stein. “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.”
The Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program is a centralized housing rehabilitation, reconstruction, replacement, and reimbursement program available to homeowners in 28 western NC counties – 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 prioritizes low-to-moderate income families with seniors aged 62 and older, children under 18, and/or disabled household members. Homeowners can apply for assistance in several ways:
- Visit RenewNC.org
- Call 1-888-791-0207
- Email HeleneRecovery@RenewNC.org
- Apply through the Renew NC mobile app (Google Play Store or Apple App Store)
- Apply in person at a local Renew NC intake center. For locations and hours, click here.
In-person assistance is available in English and Spanish at Renew NC intake centers in Asheville, Boone, and Marion, where case managers are available Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Renew NC also operates more than a dozen additional intake locations across western North Carolina, each with varying hours throughout the week.
Homeowners interested in applying for the housing recovery assistance program are encouraged to begin their application before the deadline. Applicants who do so can be given additional time to complete remaining requirements, such as submitting required documentation.
To date, the Single-Family Housing Program has received more than 7,500 applications for housing recovery assistance, with nearly one-third currently under review for eligibility. Eighty-six homeowners have been awarded grants, and 74 projects are in the pre-construction phase.
As of January 21, the program has completed 14 construction projects for homeowners in Buncombe, Cleveland, Gastonia, Henderson, McDowell, Polk, and Wilkes counties. These include three reconstructions, four rehabilitations, and seven replacements. A rehabilitation involves repairing a storm-damaged home, a reconstruction provides a homeowner with a new modular or stick-built home, and a replacement involves providing a new mobile home.
Currently, 15 Renew NC construction projects – 12 reconstructions, two rehabilitations, and one replacement – are under construction in Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, and Watauga counties.
Homeowners who have already received Helene-related assistance from FEMA or through a home insurance policy can still apply to the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. The program is designed to address housing recovery needs that remain after all other assistance has been exhausted.
Once the January 31 deadline has passed, Renew NC will shift its full focus to reviewing applications, determining budgetary needs, and advancing qualified applicants through the additional review and construction processes as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Renew NC programs are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization (DCR). Of the total $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding allocated to the state for western North Carolina recovery needs, $807 million supports the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program.
More information about the administration of the Renew NC programs can be found on the Division of Community Revitalization’s website at CommerceRecovery.nc.gov.