Asheville City Council has approved an amendment to the City’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Action Plan, reallocating federal disaster recovery funding to accelerate housing recovery for homeowners impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.
The amendment redirects $19.2 million in CDBG-DR funding to expand support for single-family home repair and reconstruction through the State of North Carolina’s Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. It includes an updated evaluation of unmet recovery and mitigation needs to justify the substantial reallocation of funds and it updates the table of funding allocations to reflect the movement of funds proposed by the Substantial Amendment. The action comes after months of feedback from residents, community organizations, recovery partners, and City Council members who identified housing recovery as one of the community’s most urgent needs.
Key themes from community feedback referenced protecting funds for affordable housing development, the need for urgent relief for homeowners, calls to protect funding for infrastructure investments, and additional transparency and oversight. Responses to the public comments received will be published in the updated action plan.
“Behind every home repair project is a family working to regain stability after Tropical Storm Helene. Expanding this program means more Asheville residents will have the opportunity to rebuild and return home,” said Recovery Coordinator Bridget Herring. “While housing recovery remains an urgent priority, we know it is only one part of Asheville’s broader recovery effort. This amendment allows us to address immediate homeowner needs while continuing to pursue resources that support affordable housing development, infrastructure improvements, economic recovery, and long-term community resilience.”
Under the amendment, $9.2 million previously allocated to the Affordable Multi-Family Housing Construction Program will be reassigned to the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. An additional $10 million will be redirected from the City’s CDBG-DR Infrastructure Program allocation.
Together, these changes increase total funding available for the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program to $22.2 million—an amount estimated to support repairs or reconstruction for approximately 55 to 65 homes damaged by Tropical Storm Helene.
The City will now submit the amendment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for final review and approval. Upon HUD approval, the City and its recovery partners will move forward with implementation with the amended funding allocations.
Residents seeking information about available disaster recovery programs and ongoing recovery efforts are encouraged to visit AshevilleRecovers.org or contact the City’s CDBG-DR team at cdbg-dr@ashevillenc.gov.
About the City of Asheville’s CDBG-DR Program
On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated $225,010,000 in CDBG-DR funds for the City of Asheville’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. CDBG-DR is a federal disaster recovery program that provides funding to communities affected by major disasters. These funds must be used to address unmet disaster-related needs, particularly in housing, economic revitalization, and infrastructure restorations.
Learn more about the City of Asheville’s CDBG-DR program and read the City’s Action Plan at ashevillerecovers.org/cdbg-dr.