Governor Stein Announces More Funding for Temporary Jobs, Training for Helene Recovery

Today Governor Josh Stein announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has released additional funds to help North Carolinians get back to work in areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

The new funds, totaling $4 million, represent the remaining portion of a $10 million Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant that the U.S. Department of Labor initially awarded to North Carolina in 2024 in the wake of Helene. The funds were part of an original request from the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS) in October 2024.

"Hurricane Helene inflicted billions in economic losses on businesses large and small," said Governor Josh Stein. "Thousands of people lost their jobs. This federal grant will enable folks in western North Carolina who are out of work to get a job helping their neighbors and businesses recover and rebuild. It is a win-win. We have made great progress in western North Carolina, but the work is far from over. I am pleased that this federal grant has now been fully awarded, but more is needed. That is why I continue to advocate for an additional $38 million for workforce support from our federal partners. We will never forget our commitment to the people of western North Carolina."

DWS will administer the new funding in partnership with five local workforce development boards:

• Foothills WDB (Cleveland, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties)
• High Country WDB (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties)
• Mountain Area WDB (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties)
• Southwestern WDB (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties)
• Western Piedmont WDB (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties)

"The Department of Commerce continues to use a variety of tools to help the families and businesses of western North Carolina," said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "We are grateful for the strong collaboration by our team, employers, local workforce development boards, and NCWorks Career Centers, which has helped to place workers in vital roles that serve their communities."

Through the federal grant, eligible residents are employed in jobs that support either clean-up and recovery from storm damage or humanitarian assistance to people in the affected areas. Supported by the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act, Dislocated Worker Grants like this one fund temporary jobs in response to large, unexpected events that cause significant job losses. Participants may be employed by nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, or private businesses engaged in relevant disaster-recovery work. To date, more than 275 individuals have participated in this program.

In addition to temporary employment, this grant can support employment and training services that help people find new jobs and pay for workforce training - at community colleges, for example.

Workers may be eligible for the grant if they have been temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the hurricane or if they meet certain other criteria.

To apply for the Hurricane Helene Dislocated Worker Grant program, residents should contact their local NCWorks Career Center. Contact information is available at https://www.ncworks.gov.

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