NC Launches Program to Repair Helene-Damaged Rentals, Requires 10-Year Affordable Rent Commitment

Governor Josh Stein announced Monday that North Carolina is now accepting applications for a new program aimed at repairing and rebuilding small rental properties in western North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. The Small Rental Rehabilitation Program is the second housing recovery initiative under the state’s Renew NC efforts, managed by the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization.

“Helene caused significant damage to rental homes in western North Carolina,” Stein said. “Today, I am excited to announce the launch of Renew NC’s second housing program, targeting small rental properties and focused on creating affordable rental units for low- to moderate-income families recovering from Helene.”

The program specifically targets owners of one- to four-unit rental properties. Participants must agree to maintain affordable rent rates for 10 years after the program’s completion. Grants will range from $250,000 to $1.5 million, with a total of $57.4 million allocated from federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“Recovery housing must serve both homeowners and renters,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Construction for our Single-Family Housing Program launched in record time, and we are moving with urgency with the launch of this Small Rental program to meet the region’s needs.”

Stephanie McGarrah, Deputy Secretary for the Division of Community Revitalization and a native of western North Carolina, said the program will “deliver critical relief for the rental housing supply in western North Carolina.”

Eligible counties include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg (28214 ZIP code only), Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey. Applicants can apply online at apply.renewnc.org, by phone at 1-888-791-0207, or with the assistance of a case manager.

To qualify, property owners must lease units to tenants with household incomes at or below 80% of the area median income and comply with federal rent limits.

Officials said the program is first-come, first-served, with no set deadline. A separate initiative to build larger rental housing projects is planned for next year, using about $134 million in federal funding.

In addition to the rental program, Stein’s office announced 80 grants for local governments to repair storm-damaged infrastructure. The $50 million in state funding targets projects ineligible for or denied federal aid.

Information about the programs and full grant awards is available at CommerceRecovery.nc.gov and RenewNC.org.

You may read the full list of Hurricane Helene local government capital grant recipients here.