14 nonprofits helping western NC after Helene receive $9 million in grants

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Fourteen nonprofit volunteer organizations helping western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene received more than $9 million in grants, the governor’s office said Thursday.

According to the Office of Gov. Josh Stein, the grants were awarded to nonprofit Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters that are providing housing repair and reconstruction projects to the state’s western region, which was devastated by Helene last September.

The governor’s office said the following nonprofits received grants:

• All Hands All Hearts was awarded $435,000 for repairing or replacing roofs, doors, windows, plumbing, sewer and/or electrical on 25 to 30 homes a year in Bumcombe and Haywood counties as part of the Resilient Repairs for Vulnerable Households project
• Appalachian Service Project was awarded $700,000 for repairing homes in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties as part of the WNC Helene Recovery project
• Ashe County Recovery & Restoration was awarded $244,000 for repairing or replacing septic, roofing, and flooring in Ashe County
• Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity was awarded $2 million for its Disaster Home Repairs for for Hurricane Homeowners in WNC project in Buncombe and Madison counties
• Avery County Amy Wellness Foundation was awarded $100,000 for repairs to address structural, electrical, plumbing, weatherproofing, and home access needs for 10 to 20 homes in Avery County
• Baptists on Mission was awarded $2.5 million for a large number of projects across western North Carolina as part of the Helene Rebuild program
• Camp Grier was awarded $250,000 for repairing approximately 12 homes as part of the Old Fort Strong Home Repair & Restoration Initiative
• Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders was awarded $700,000 for replacing and rebuilding homes in Bumcombe, McDowell, and Yancy counties and building new homes in Black Mountain as part of the WNC Helene Repair and Reconstruction project
• FUMC Waynesville was awarded $850,000 for repairing and replacing homes in the Waynesville area as part of the Rebuild Haywood program
• Henderson County Thermal Belt Habitat was awarded $225,000 for eight home repairs in Henderson County
• Housing Assistance Corporation was awarded $300,000 for repairing at least 20 homes in Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties as part of the Disaster Home Repair program
• Operation Helo was awarded $500,000 for providing repairs to 20 to 30 homes in the Maiden area
• Transylvania Habitat for Humanity was awarded $280,000 for elevating 10 mobile homes impacted by flooding from the Davidson and French Broad rivers as part of the Helene Home Elevation Project-MH Resilience Initiative
• Western NC Conference of United Methodist Church was awarded $300,000 for repairing and replacing homes in western North Carolina’s highest-impacted companies

According to the governor’s office, the grants were made available through House Bill 47, which provides additional appropriations to communities and citizens impacted by Helene. The North Carolina General Assembly added $18 million to the program to support volunteer organizations.

An additional $6 million in grants was split between Baptists on Mission and Habitat for Humanity, which have completed repairs on more than 500 homes in western North Carolina, according to the governor’s office.

“More than a year has passed since Hurricane Helene, and we are fortunate that so many volunteer organizations have stepped up to help their neighbors in need,” Stein said in a statement. “Their tireless work is critical to our ongoing efforts to get western North Carolinians back in their homes.”

Emergency Management Director Will Ray said in a statement, “Our volunteer organization partners are part of the State Emergency Response Team precisely because of their unwavering support of the 10.8 million people who call North Carolina home, including the 3.5 million people in the western region of our state. We appreciate the legislature helping to support the operations of these crucial partners in the recovery process.”