Governor Stein Announces Application for Western North Carolina Small Rental Rehabilitation Program

Today Governor Josh Stein announced that the State is accepting applications for a new disaster recovery program to repair or rebuild small rental properties in western North Carolina that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. The Small Rental Rehabilitation Program is the second Renew NC recovery initiative to be offered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization.

"Helene caused significant damage to rental homes western North Carolina," said Governor Josh Stein. "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 Small Rental Rehabilitation Program is specifically targeting owners of one to four rental units per property that were damaged by Hurricane Helene. Property owners must agree to provide affordable rent rates for a 10-year period following program construction to be considered for assistance.

"Recovery housing must serve both homeowners and renters. The launch of this program is another important step in our western North Carolina housing recovery initiatives," said North Carolina Department of 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."

"This program will deliver critical relief for the rental housing supply in western North Carolina," said Division of Community Revitalization Deputy Secretary and native western North Carolinian Stephanie McGarrah. "While recovery is a long process, we remain committed to moving with urgency and care to restore affordable rental units for our western North Carolina communities."

Owners of rental properties located in these eligible counties can apply: 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.

Potential applicants seeking more information about the Renew NC Small Rental Rehabilitation Program can visit https://www.renewnc.org or call 1-888-791-0207. Program staff can help determine if they qualify for assistance. Applications can be submitted online, over the phone with a case manager, or through the app.

The Renew NC programs are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of the total $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding that was allocated to the state for western North Carolina recovery needs, $57.4 million is allocated to the Renew NC Small Rental Rehabilitation Program.

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina led the nation as the first affected state to launch a home rebuilding and renovation program - the fastest in more than a decade to begin post-hurricane reconstruction using HUD CDBG-DR funding. Information about the administration of the Renew NC programs can be found at the Division of Community Revitalization's website at CommerceRecovery.nc.gov.

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