The Long Wait For Helene Housing Recovery Funds

Renew NC, the state program created to repair and rebuild homes damaged during Hurricane Helene, received more than 7,900 applications from homeowners across Western North Carolina. So far, only 157 of those families are back in their homes.

The program was created to fill the gap for homeowners with recovery costs not fully covered by insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, or low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration. The federal government funded the majority of the program; the state provided the rest. 

In the mountains, few homeowners carried flood insurance, and a survey of 300 Helene-impacted North Carolinians found almost 2 in 5 received no assistance from their standard homeowners insurance. Only 1% said private insurance had fully covered their disaster recovery costs. And while FEMA’s disaster assistance can help with repairs, those grants for Helene maxed out at $42,500.

To qualify for Renew NC, families must make less than 120% of their area’s median income; have sustained structural damages to their primary residence from Helene; provide documents that prove home ownership, occupancy, and income for all household members over 18; and share information about any government, insurance, and nonprofit benefits they received. But more families have been rejected or dropped from the program, mostly for missing documents, than the nearly 2,200 accepted. 

There are currently 163 houses in the process of being repaired. Another 1,900 have yet to be started. 

The red tape and slow rollout have brought more devastation for low- and moderate-income homeowners, many of whom say they are unclear about where their application stands or did not realize it had been rejected until The Assembly told them.

Ahead of the storm’s second anniversary, The Assembly built a tool to allow applicants to check their status. In July 2025, we filed a public records request for Renew’s case management databases. We wanted to track how long it takes cases to move through the process and identify trends in who drops out. 

Nearly a year later, we received a PDF of the 7,924 applicants. The data excludes personal information and specific case details like outstanding documents and communications. (Applicants can request that information from their case file; instructions on how to do so are below.) Jump to the search tool, or read some of the applicants’ stories.

“We continue to increase how fast applications are moving through the pipeline and toward construction,” Sean Rowe, a spokesperson for the program, wrote in an email. Rowe said that there are over 600 applicants in the pre-construction stage, which includes assigning a general contractor, filing for permits, and ensuring residents have relocated before construction can begin.

“As the program moves forward, the pace of completed projects will increase, as well.”

Delays, Denials, and Confusion

Joe Rogers lost his wife, Sandra, when floodwaters ripped their mobile home off its foundation and drove it into a bridge with Sandra and three of their dogs still inside. He began his application in September 2025, but the database indicates his case was closed two months later.

Rogers was missing a dozen required forms, according to state records. In a February 2026 email thanking him for his application, Renew NC requested a “co-owner consent form” from Sandra, proof of her income, and photos of the damage. 

“I have my late wife’s death certificate if needed,” Rogers wrote back but never got a reply. “I will have to see if I have any photos. There was nothing left. The flood took everything except the clothes on my back and a few dogs that made it out.” 

He emailed his case manager on May 29 to inquire about his application’s status.  He hasn’t heard back.  

From her car parked on a hill, Donna Whitten watched her home fill with 8 feet of water, washing away 18 years of her life. She applied to Renew NC in October 2025. 

“I was approved for it and everything, and sent in everything I had. In fact, I was at the top of the list,” Whitten said. The state’s data indicates that as of July 10, the state needed four more forms from Whitten, which she says she already submitted. Renew NC did not respond to questions on her case at the time of publication. “I sent everything they needed, and I’m still sitting here in this apartment,” Whitten said. Her flood insurance paid her $40,000, but most of that has gone to the $1,500 a month for rent and utilities.

Whitten, who is 69 and is the guardian of her granddaughter, is in the program’s highest priority group, Phase 1, for homeowners below 60% of the area median income. Households with at least one member over age 62 or under 18, and from a county the federal government identifies as most-impacted, are supposed to be the first priority. 

Her case is listed as “On Hold” to receive a new mobile home in a different location, as the lot where she used to live now needs a home to be raised more than 8 feet to sit above base flood elevation. Whitten said she connected her case manager with another mobile home park willing to rent her a qualifying lot months ago. “Renew keeps telling me it’s in review.”

Colette and Johnnie Featherston’s Hendersonville home backs up to a small creek which filled the house with more than 7 inches of water during Helene, displacing the multigenerational four-person family. After getting limited assistance from their insurance and FEMA, the Featherstons applied to Renew NC. 

They’ve moved five times since the storm, jumping between a camper and short-term rentals. Meanwhile, water from other storms has crept under or into their former home three more times. They decided to rebuild on their own, a plan that feels “financially devastating,” Colette Featherston said. “We can’t wait for assistance any longer, especially since we know none of it is guaranteed.”

Renew NC will process applications by phase, but if it runs out of funds, applicants in later phases could be out of luck. The Featherstons are in Phase 4, behind more than 1,800 other families.

Unlike past federal disasters where Congress appropriated additional funding rounds through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) block grants, the state of North Carolina has received only one since Helene, which was for $1.4 billion. Of that, $807 million is designated for homeowner recovery. 

“At present funding levels, roughly 2,100 applicants will remain unserved in the state’s current single-family housing program,” Gov. Josh Stein wrote in a June letter to the state’s congressional delegation requesting $10 billion for Helene recovery, $3 billion of which would go to housing. 

The letter came months after a congressional push to change how disaster recovery spending is awarded, a process which has been both politicized and seemingly upended under the Trump administration, with Democratic states and cities more frequently rejected from disaster aid, and states waiting months for standard assistance. 

In March, the Senate passed a housing bill that would permanently authorize the HUD disaster recovery block grant, but when the bill went to the House, the recovery spending section was cut. 

The state has appropriated over $3 billion for Helene recovery, including nearly $400 million required to receive the federal funds. Some of the matching dollars were awarded to nonprofits as grants to repair and rebuild homes on a faster timeline than the federal program allows.

Search the Database

How homeowners can request their case file:

Applicants are able to request their case file, including their application, communication, and notes. Because these files contain personally identifiable information, like Social Security numbers and income, it is recommended to pick up the file in person.

1. Call, email, or visit your assigned case manager to request a copy of your case file.
   1. Putting the request in writing creates a paper trail in case you need to follow up. At minimum, include your full name, case ID, what information you are requesting, and how the individual can reach out to you. Please note, if you go in person, it is highly unlikely that the file can be processed the same day. 
   2. Be sure to identify how you would like to receive your file, such as picking up in person from your closest Renew NC intake center (located in Asheville, Boone, and Marion) or sent via USPS certified mail. 
2. Wait for the file to be processed. There is no specific amount of time that this can take, but if you haven’t received a confirmation, or if you haven’t heard back in a week or two, you can politely follow up.
3. Retrieve your file from your local intake center or your mailbox.

If you are experiencing challenges with your application, please get in touch through our form or email helenetips@propublica.org.