Matalene Waters (center) with her daughter April Stewart (left) and goddaughter Tangela. Waters’ home was the first to see repairs under the Renew NC homebuilding program. (Photo courtesy of Gov. Josh Stein’s office)
North Carolina officials have finished repairs on their first home as part of the state’s post-Hurricane Helene homebuilding program, Gov. Josh Stein’s office announced Wednesday.
Stein’s office said Renew NC, the state’s recovery program, had done repairs on the home of Matalene Waters, who has lived in western North Carolina for 30 years. Waters was the first person to be approved for assistance under Renew NC’s single-family housing program.
Repairs on Waters’ home mark the first visible progress of construction under the federally funded program, as hundreds more continue to apply for aid.
“When Helene came, the flood came down the street and into the backyard, and it came all the way up to the [outdoor] light sockets,” Waters said in a news release. “It flooded all of my furniture and appliances, so we had to destroy all of that. You don’t realize how much it affects your mind. You’re thinking you’re okay, but you’re not.”
Want to know if you’re eligible or looking to apply? Visit Renew NC’s website or read our story detailing the requirements and process.
Hundreds of others are seeking similar — and in some cases, much more extensive — assistance. Renew NC has received more than 1,900 applications as of Wednesday.
Stein’s administration has touted an unprecedented timeline as they seek to access $1.4 billion total in federal grant money to repair homes and property. North Carolina is the first Helene-impacted state to formally launch its home repair program, his office said in a news release.
“Completing our first home is an important milestone in the Hurricane Helene recovery process,” Stein said. “I applaud my team for moving at record speed. Let’s keep swinging hammers and getting more families back home.”
Renew NC completed home repairs for the first applicant approved under North Carolina’s post-Hurricane Helene homebuilding program. (Photo courtesy of Gov. Josh Stein’s office)
Recent weeks have seen a surge of new applicants thanks to in-person neighborhood canvassing, in which Renew NC employees knock on doors to alert homeowners who may be eligible but have not applied. That approach led to around 900 new applicants over the past 15 days, according to the governor’s office.
“With the construction phase of our single-family housing program underway, we’re looking forward to helping restore housing stability across the region,” said Stephanie McGarrah, who is leading the Department of Commerce division overseeing Helene rebuilds. “We can’t understate the importance of this work.”
State officials have also launched a public dashboard to track the flow of applications. That includes data on which phase and priority applications are in, as well as a breakdown by county.
As of Wednesday evening, six additional applicants are in the “award determination” phase, a prelude to construction. An additional 196 are under environmental reviews; and 264 are undergoing damage assessments. There are currently no applicants in the “pre-construction” or construction phases.
The counties with the most applicants thus far are Buncombe (over 600) and Henderson (220). But the state has received applications from every county spanning from Clay in the southwest to Surry, Yadkin and Mecklenburg further to the east.
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