News

Renew NC offers aid to repair and rebuild storm-damaged homes

By Lightning Reports, Published: June 16, 2025

The state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in Western North Carolina that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene, Gov. Josh Stein announced on Monday.

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,” Stein said. “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."

Homeowners in Henderson and 28 others counties are eligible to apply. The Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program is a key initiative to address remaining long-term recovery needs of homeowners in Western North Carolina and will prioritize low-to-moderate income families. 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.
“We’re ready to get hammers swinging and home construction underway,” N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said. “Today’s opening of the application period for our Renew NC Housing program is an important milestone for Hurricane Helene survivors and western North Carolina’s recovery."

The Renew NC programs are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of the total $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding that was allocated to the state for Helene recovery, $807 million is allocated to the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. Stein encourages all low to moderate income homeowners in eligible counties whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene to see if they are eligible and apply for housing repair or reconstruction at www.renewnc.org.  

For more information about the Renew NC Housing program, visit www.renewnc.org or call 1-888-791-0207. Program staff can help determine if you qualify for assistance from the program. Information about the administration of the Renew NC programs can be found at CommerceRecovery.nc.gov.