Relief Assistance and Resources Upcoming Deadlines FEMA Disaster Recovery Center Rental Assistance Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for Property Owners Home Repair Assistance Community Care Stations Small Business Assistance Center Upcoming Deadlines Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant: Provides up to three months of support for rent, mortgage, or utility bills. Applications close December 18 at 5 p.m. at buncombecounty.org. FEMA Disaster Assistance Deadlines and Resources The deadline to apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance is January 7. Visit disasterassistance.gov or the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Asheville Mall. FEMA may provide funding for repairs on private roads and bridges. For more information, residents can call 800-621-3362. Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) remains available for disaster survivors whose homes are uninhabitable or inaccessible. Disaster Unemployment Assistance Extended The North Carolina Department of Commerce has extended Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) application deadlines to January 7, 2025. If Hurricane Helene disrupted your employment, you may qualify. Visit des.nc.gov/dua or call the DUA hotline at 919-629-3857 (English) or 919-276-5698 (Spanish) for more information. FEMA Disaster Recovery Center A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), where you can receive support from FEMA and the Small Business Center, is now open at Asheville Mall (3 S. Tunnel Rd). FEMA announced changes to the hours of operation for Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) across North Carolina. These decisions were made in partnership with the state and local governments. Effective Monday, November 25, DRCs will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. All DRCs are now closed Sundays. Rental Assistance The City of Asheville is partnering with experienced non-profits to distribute more than $1,000,000 in rental assistance for individuals and families recovering from Helene. Eblen Charities – eblencharities.org/programs 828-255-3066 This program is available to all individuals and families who need help paying for rent/mortgage in Asheville. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church – Update At this moment, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church is not taking any new applications as they have currently run out out of funds. We will update when their application process opens again. Click images for larger versions. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for Property Owners The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is a FEMA-funded initiative aimed at reducing or eliminating future damages and losses following a disaster. While federally funded, the program is managed in North Carolina by the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. For property owners, HMGP offers assistance for various mitigation strategies, including: Structure Elevation: Raising buildings to protect them from flooding. Structural Reinforcement: Strengthening buildings to withstand natural disasters. Property Buyouts: Purchasing damaged properties to reduce future risk. Participation in the program is entirely voluntary, and property owners may withdraw their application at any time. Additional Resources If your property was damaged by Tropical Storm Helene, we encourage you to watch this 8-minute video to learn more about HMGP. Find more Information Here. Home Repair Assistance The City has allocated $1,465,000 to the Asheville Regional Coalition for Home Repair, or ARCHR, to support Home Repair Assistance work in our community. This program aims to provide Home Repair Assistance to low-income homeowners in Buncombe or Madison County with storm-damage and in need of disaster repair. ARCHR is made up of the following organizations: Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity Poder Emma Community Ownership Community Action Opportunities AND Mountain Housing Opportunities If you are interested in applying for Home Repair Assistance, you can find the application on the Asheville Habitat for Humanity website: https://www.ashevillehabitat.org/housing-programs/disaster-repairs/ Community Care Stations Community care stations are open only at these locations. Ingles Market Community Care Station in Fairview (ADA Showers and Bathrooms) 225 Charlotte Highway Asheville, NC Bethel United Methodist Community Care Station (ADA Showers and Bathrooms) 1050 Riceville Road Asheville, NC Morgan Hill Baptist Church Community Care Station (ADA Showers and Bathrooms) 594 Barnardsville Highway Weaverville, NC Owen Pool Community Care Station (ADA Showers and Bathrooms) 117 Stone Drive Swannanoa, 28778 Find more information here. Food and Water Distribution Distribution sites have been demobilized. This decision was made based on the return of potable drinking water and the amount of traffic these sites were seeing. While these sites were open, they distributed: 3,914,237 bottles and 1 liter cartons of drinking water 22,391 gallons of potable water 257,262 gallons of non-potable water 251,983 meals ready-to-eat 2,864 blankets Small Business Assistance Center The United States Small Business Administration has opened a small business assistance center at the Chamber of Commerce. The center is focusing on providing disaster relief in the form of low interest loans for businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters impacted by the storm. Visit sba.gov for more information. Learn more about disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration Additional resources for community members Federal Financial Assistance (FEMA) Apply for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency NC Department of Public Safety Information and resources for people in North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene We've temporarily modified this page of the Asheville City website in order for visitors to more easily access information about Hurricane Helene. View Full Home Page Instead.
