Governor Stein Welcomes Leicester Resident Back Home After Helene

Today Governor Josh Stein handed Dennis Fultz, a Leicester homeowner, the keys to his brand-new home - a homecoming that was made possible through Renew NC 's Single-Family Housing Program. After losing his house of 10 years to Hurricane Helene, Mr. Fultz now has a safe place to call home.

"Getting families back into safe housing that they can afford is essential to long-term recovery," said Governor Josh Stein. "Through Renew NC and with our volunteer partners, we've repaired or rebuilt 1,250 homes like Mr. Fultz's. There's still so much more we must do to support our neighbors who are recovering from Hurricane Helene, and we need more federal support to keep bringing western North Carolinians back home."

Two years since Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina, Governor Stein continues to advocate for a $10 billion appropriation from Congress to support the next phase of recovery, including $3 billion from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to rebuild damaged and destroyed homes.

"At Renew NC, we're seeing month-to-month growth as we're moving more homeowners through review and into pre-construction," said Division of Community Revitalization Deputy Secretary Stephanie McGarrah. "We know families impacted by Helene need homes, and we're focused on getting them into safe, resilient homes as quickly as possible."

Governor Stein also visited Mars Hill University for the Governor's Advisory Committee on WNC Recovery meeting and volunteered with cabinet secretaries and the Western North Carolina Conference of United Methodist Churches to help rebuild homes for disaster survivors.

Governor Stein has worked with state agencies and volunteer partners to repair and rebuild more than 1,250 homes. Administered through the Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization (DCR), Renew NC'sSingle-Family Housing Program is producing results: More than 150 homes have been completed, 167 homes are in the construction phase, and more than 600 are in pre-construction. North Carolina stood up its HUD-supported housing program faster than any other state impacted by Hurricane Helene. In August, Governor Stein announced a ten new large, multi-family projects to develop 828 new rental units that will expand the supply of affordable, resilient rental housing in western North Carolina. This announcement marked the biggest single expansion of affordable housing in these Helene-impacted counties in history.

Governor Stein is committed to bringing western North Carolinians back into safe, stable homes. Recent work to build and restore housing includes:

• Signing a State Budget: Governor Stein's newly signed state budget appropriates more than $700 million to support Hurricane Helene recovery - the third Hurricane Helene Recovery package since Governor Stein took office in January 2025 - and includes funding to fuel the state's temporary housing assistance program. Altogether, the state has appropriated more than $3 billion to the recovery efforts.
• Strengthening Infrastructure and Improving Resilience: Renew NC announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity, making an initial $55 million of federal funding allocation available to help local governments in western North Carolina strengthen infrastructure and improve resilience against natural hazards. Applications closed on September 8, 2026.
• Supporting Families: Last month, Renew NC launched the Multi-Family Construction and Repair Program, making $70 million in federal funding available to support the construction and rehabilitation of safe, affordable rental housing for families - helping to strengthen long-term resilience across western North Carolina. Applications for funding will be accepted through November 2.
• Building More Workforce Housing: The newly-launched Renew NC Workforce Housing for Ownership Program makes more than $53 million in federal funding available to develop workforce housing units for homeownership in 16 HUD-Identified Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) counties across western North Carolina. Expanding access to affordable housing options for the local workforce enables more households to continue living and working in the region as recovery continues. Applications close on December 13, 2026.
• Expanding Economic Opportunity: Renew NC also recently launched its Commercial District Revitalization Program, which will boost economies, restore jobs, and reinvigorate commercial districts in western North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. Applications closed on August 4, 2026.

Governor Stein has not let up in his commitment to help the people of western North Carolina rebuild two years since Hurricane Helene struck the region. As of July, the Department of Environmental Quality has awarded $1 billion to strengthen water infrastructure and resilience in western North Carolina. Since Hurricane Helene struck, 99% of all drinking water systems damaged by the storm have been fully restored, but more than $758 million in unmet federal needs remain to fully repair water systems and make them more resilient to future storms. More than 99% of roads closed or impacted by Hurricane Helene are now reopened, and more than $105 million in grants and loans have been awarded to nearly 3,000 small businesses to retain nearly 15,000 jobs across the region. Click here to read more about how Governor Stein and his administration are working to rebuild western North Carolina for the long haul.

As the state stays focused on recovery, Governor Stein continues to call on the federal government to recommit to western North Carolina's recovery with a new $10 billion appropriation that would support small businesses and local governments, restore dams and streambanks, rebuild private roads and bridges, and repairing federal highways. This request includes $3 billion from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to rebuild damaged and destroyed homes. Click here to read more about Governor Stein's federal request.