Topics Related to Community

Governor Josh Stein today announced that the Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved 21 grant requests for local governments totaling $9,815,885. The grants include commitments creating a total of 758 jobs, 489 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects is expected to attract more than $179 million in private and public investment.

In the 12 months since Hurricane Helene damaged Western North Carolina, Governor Josh Stein’s Commerce Department has launched a new division to put $1.4 billion of federal recovery dollars to work, accepted more than 3,400 applications from homeowners seeking recovery help, encouraged tourists to return to the mountains, and paid more than $96 million in disaster-related unemployment insurance benefits to people in need. These key milestones in the state’s ongoing recovery efforts reaffirm North Carolina’s commitment to help families, workers, and businesses rebuild stronger than ever.

Renew NC, North Carolina’s long-term disaster recovery effort, today finished making storm-related repairs to the first home approved for assistance through the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program (SFHP). Renew NC is funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Governor Josh Stein today announced that the Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved four grant requests to local governments totaling $1,872,019. The requests include commitments creating a total of 170 jobs. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $74.5 million in private investment.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is inviting residents across the state to help shape North Carolina’s economic future by participating in a series of public listening sessions starting Aug. 27. These sessions will give North Carolinians a direct opportunity to share ideas, concerns, and priorities that will inform the state’s next Comprehensive Strategic Economic Development Plan.

This week Renew NC surpassed 1,000 applications received, reaching a significant milestone for the state’s Single-Family Housing Program (SFHP). This program, administered through the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization (DCR), provides assistance to repair or rebuild homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Renew NC anticipates construction beginning on the first home within the next month.

Today in partnership with Governor Josh Stein, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced the official kickoff of the state’s next Comprehensive Strategic Economic Development Plan, which will seek input from North Carolinians throughout the state and is expected to be published in spring 2026.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Main Street and Rural Planning Center announced today that Thomasville has earned its North Carolina Main Street Community designation and that Siler City has been selected to participate in the Downtown Associate Community (DAC) program. The designations for both communities became effective July 1, 2025.

North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley has appointed Kenny Flowers to serve as the new Chief Deputy Secretary for the Department of Commerce, assuming leadership of key operational areas and strategic initiatives, effective August 1, 2025.

Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that nine small business recovery projects in western North Carolina have been awarded grants from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s new Hurricane Helene recovery program to help local governments rebuild damaged infrastructure. A total of $7.3 million will support projects in the City of Morganton, the towns of Gamewell and Clyde, and in Chimney Rock Village.