The City of Asheville and State of North Carolina have formalized their partnership using $3 million in City of Asheville disaster recovery funding to support home repair and reconstruction for Asheville homeowners impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley signed the agreement on January 7, 2026. The application period, open since June 2025, remains open for eligible residents through January 31 at RenewNC.org.
The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation to the City of Asheville and is dedicated specifically to the Renew NC Single-Family Home Repair Program, which assists homeowners across 28 counties whose primary residences were damaged by Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024.
Meeting the need
In January 2025, HUD allocated disaster recovery funding to Asheville to support long-term housing recovery efforts. Asheville’s CDBG-DR Action Plan designated $3 million to address unmet repair and reconstruction needs for owner-occupied, single-family homes via the Renew NC program.
The City of Asheville is partnering with the State of North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program to administer the program on the City’s behalf. Renew NC will manage application intake, eligibility determination, environmental reviews, case management, and construction activities and the City of Asheville will reimburse the State only for eligible construction costs incurred within city limits and monitor program compliance and execution.
“This partnership represents a critical turning point for our community,” said CDBG-DR Program Manager Elma King. “While emergency aid helped us get through the immediate aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, these CDBG-DR funds are about long-term stability – ensuring that our residents aren’t just back in their houses, but are safe in homes that are fully repaired or rebuilt.”
Tiered assistance approach
Assistance will be provided through a tiered approach that prioritizes households earning less than 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) that include children, elderly residents, or individuals with disabilities, before moving to serve applicants in higher income categories if funds remain. Funding per household is limited to $50,000 for home rehabilitation and up to $450,000 for reconstruction, depending on eligibility and need.
“The State’s Renew NC program is already helping homeowners across Western North Carolina. By joining forces with the State’s Renew NC program, we are working to make the most of every dollar and every day since the Helene,” King said. “We are using Asheville’s recovery funding to pay for hard construction costs, allowing us to efficiently provide high-quality reconstruction and rehabilitation services that meet federal standards without duplicating administrative efforts.”
Asheville City Council authorized the subrecipient agreement with the State in October 2025, enabling the City to move forward with utilizing the $3 million allocation for single-family housing repairs.
Application Deadline & Link
The Renew NC application period will close at the end of the month. Homeowners impacted by Tropical Storm Helene are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is Saturday, January 31.
For program details and to apply, visit: https://renewnc.org/
For further details on the City of Asheville’s CDBG-DR Program, please visit https://www.ashevillerecovers.org/.