(RALEIGH) Today Governor Josh Stein is highlighting Renew NC’s work to repair and rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Helene. Western North Carolinians who are seeking assistance in rebuilding Helene-damaged homes have until December 31, 2025, to submit an application to the state’s Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program (SFPH).  

“The Renew NC Single Family Housing Program is a vital resource for families working to recover and rebuild their homes from the devastation Hurricane Helene brought to western North Carolina,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We encourage all eligible residents to apply now to take advantage of this opportunity.”  

Renew NC, the state’s long-term disaster recovery effort, is administered through the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization (DCR) to support the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of homes damaged by the hurricane, using funds from a federal disaster recovery grant (CDBG-DR). 

Spotlight on Renew NC Applicants  

Caption: Gov. Josh Stein presents key to Polk County resident Sherry Logan

One of the first applicants to complete the Renew NC process celebrated on Saturday, September 27. Sherry Logan and her family were overjoyed to receive the keys to their brand-new home — delivered personally by Governor Josh Stein and the Renew NC team from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Ms. Logan received a full replacement of her storm-damaged manufactured home.

“I am so blessed,” said Ms. Logan, a longtime resident of Mill Spring, NC. “Thank you for all your work with Renew NC.”  

Watauga County resident Howard Gilliam met with his Renew NC case manager at a local Renew NC intake center recently to sign his grant agreement.  

Caption: Howard Gilliam signs his grant agreement at the Renew NC intake center in Boone.  

“I had the absolute pleasure of assisting Mr. Gilliam from the very first time he stepped foot into the Boone office,” said Brianna Fett, a case manager at the Renew NC intake center in Boone. “What a wonderful journey it’s been to see him getting his home repaired.”  

“It’s powerful to be with our neighbors and see the impact of getting them home again after surviving the hardships of Hurricane Helene,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “We deeply appreciate our local partners whose support allows us to respond quickly and reach the people who need help the most.” 

“Neighbors helping neighbors is vitally important to the work that we are doing,” said Division of Community Revitalization Deputy Secretary and native western North Carolinian Stephanie McGarrah. “Being from western North Carolina, this work is personal to me, so I want to make sure we’re getting into the communities and helping our neighbors rebuild their homes and their lives.”  

The Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program prioritizes low- to moderate-income (LMI) families in communities that experienced significant storm damage in the wake of the most destructive storm in state history. Homeowners in 28 counties and one ZIP code (28214 in Mecklenburg County) may be eligible to apply for assistance.  

Case managers provide in-person assistance to the public at three Renew NC intake centers located in Asheville, Boone, and Marion. Personnel help English- and Spanish-speaking people, and thanks to agreements with local partner organizations, an additional 11 pop-up intake centers are now open across multiple counties – including Ashe, Alleghany, Haywood, Henderson, Mitchell, and Wilkes – to bring services directly to the people who need them most.  

Caption:  Case managers at the Renew NC intake center in Marion

Renew NC Milestones 

As of this week, more than 4,000 families have submitted applications for assistance through the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. Currently, more than half of those submissions are in intake review, a stage in the process during which Renew NC case managers verify that all required materials have been submitted and each application is complete. An additional 370 applications have passed the intake stage and are being evaluated to determine if the applicants meet all eligibility requirements for the program.  

After eligibility review, a series of additional steps follow, including detailed damage assessments, environmental reviews, and a review of any recovery benefits the applicants may have received from other programs. This review ensures there is no duplication of benefits to a given applicant. Approximately 800 additional applications stand in these stages of review.  

Once a given case qualifies for the program, Renew NC issues an award determination letter to the applicant, a proposal detailing the specific scope and value of the recovery project.  Applicants can then choose to either accept the proposed award or appeal it for reconsideration. Should the applicant accept the award, they sign a grant agreement and Renew NC then assigns a general contractor to the applicant’s project. Before construction begins, the contractor conducts a walk-through of the homesite, secures all required permits, and confirms arrangements are in place for the resident to relocate during the construction phase, if relocation is necessary. 

Learn more on RenewNC’s Single Family Housing Dashboard. 

How to Apply 

Homeowners seeking more information about the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program can visit RenewNC.org, call (888) 791-0207, or visit an in-person location. Program staff can help determine if the homeowner qualifies for assistance. The Renew NC app is also available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.  

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, and anyone can subscribe to the Division’s newsletter online.