The WNC Desk · Helene recovery
Two years after Helene, the state's rebuilding program has finished work on 165 homes. More than 2,000 of its active applications are at earlier stages.
Helene struck Western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. The state's rebuilding program finished work on its first home on August 27, 2025. Two years after the storm, work is finished on 165 homes, and 1,253 of the 2,205 applications still active are in review.
Figures as of September 27, 2026 · Prepared 2026-09-27
Renew NC's single-family program
Renew NC's Single-Family Housing Program repairs, rebuilds or replaces eligible homes that still have damage from Helene. The state says a future phase may reimburse approved applicants for Helene repairs already made to their homes. The state took applications from June 16, 2025, through January 31, 2026, from 28 counties and one ZIP code in Mecklenburg County. Renew NC also runs other Helene programs, including one for rental housing.
Of the 30 homes finished by March 31, 2026, the state told HUD, 11 were rebuilt and the rest were repaired or replaced with new manufactured homes.
The program's public dashboard showed 7,924 submitted applications on September 27, 2026. The state's report to HUD for April through June 2026 counted 7,194 unique applications, after removing duplicate submissions. Of the dashboard's 7,924, 2,205 were still active. That count runs from applications still in review to homes already completed. A note on the dashboard says some may still be found ineligible. The dashboard lists the other 5,719 as inactive or ineligible, which it defines as applications that "have withdrawn from the program or did not meet program requirements."
Of the 2,205 still active, 165 have construction complete and 2,037 are at earlier stages, 1,253 of them still in review.
Buncombe County had more applications than any other county: 2,151. The dashboard gives its stage counts only for the whole program. It does not show how many Buncombe homes have been completed.
About the governor's 1,250
On September 25, 2026, Gov. Josh Stein said the state had "repaired or rebuilt 1,250 homes" through Renew NC and with its volunteer partners. The same announcement put the Single-Family Housing Program's own count at "more than 150" homes completed. It does not say how the 1,250 breaks down.
FEMA's housing help
FEMA's rental assistance helps displaced survivors cover the cost of rent for a time. In March 2026, FEMA extended it for Helene survivors in North Carolina who were already receiving it. FEMA said they could keep getting it "as needed" through September 30, 2026. Its March announcement did not say how many households were still receiving it. In September 2026, NC Local reported that, according to FEMA, "only a small number are still receiving rental assistance."
By March 16, 2026, FEMA's direct housing program had provided 243 families with mobile homes, travel trailers and other ready-to-occupy units since the storm. The March announcement set September 30, 2026 as the latest date eligible residents could stay, month to month. In a September 2026 release, FEMA said direct housing ended in April and that 72 of the families bought their FEMA unit.
Households with questions about their own FEMA application can call FEMA at 800-621-3362.
Sources: Renew NC Single-Family Housing Dashboard, North Carolina Department of Commerce, read at its September 27, 2026 refresh (applications, stages, county totals and the 165 homes with construction complete). Its figures change as it is updated. North Carolina Department of Commerce, its first three quarterly performance reports to HUD, titled Q4 2025, Q1 2026 and Q2 2026 (homes finished by September 30 and December 31, 2025, March 31, 2026 and June 30, 2026, and the 7,194 unique applications in the last of them). The Q4 2025 report also covers the quarter that ended September 30, 2025. The state lists all three as submitted to HUD and awaiting its approval. The first two describe finished homes as reconstructions, rehabilitations and manufactured home replacements; the dashboard does not break down its 165. County totals come from the dashboard's county map; Clay County's could not be read there, and the other 28 entries add up to 7,906 of the 7,924 submitted. North Carolina Department of Commerce, Single-Family Housing Program page (the 28 counties and one ZIP code). Renew NC, Single-Family Housing Program page and FAQ (what the program does and the September 27, 2024 storm date it uses). Governor Josh Stein, "Governor Josh Stein Announces Western North Carolina Homeowners Can Apply for Single-Family Housing Recovery Program," June 16, 2025 (applications open); "Renew NC Completes Repairs on First Home for Single-Family Housing Program," August 27, 2025 (the first finished home); and "Governor Stein Welcomes Leicester Resident Back Home After Helene," September 25, 2026 (the 1,250, the "more than 150" and the multi-family program). Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), quarterly report on Helene recovery through March 31, 2026 (applications accepted until January 31, 2026). FEMA, "FEMA Approves Six-Month Extension of Direct Housing and Rental Assistance for Helene Survivors," March 16, 2026 (both extensions, and the 243 families FEMA provided units to since the storm), and "Recovery Progress Continues Nearly Two Years After Helene," September 14, 2026 (that direct housing ended in April and that 72 families bought their unit). NC Local, two-year Helene recovery questions and answers, September 24, 2026 (what FEMA said about the rent-help caseload). FEMA, "Contact Us" (the helpline). Independent summary; not affiliated with FEMA, the State of North Carolina or Renew NC.