As lawmakers probe Western NC housing recovery, Eastern NC’s still isn’t done
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NCORR has faced criticism for delays and mismanagement of funds.
- NCORR spent $169 million of $217 million; $48 million obligated.
- The agency says 4,133 families helped; 110 projects in construction.
During a hearing on the status of housing repairs through a state program using federal dollars in Western North Carolina, delays in Eastern North Carolina's recovery efforts came up, too.
Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, created the Community Revitalization Division within the state Department of Commerce on his second day in office. The division launched Renew NC to manage more than $1.4 billion in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, including $807 million for a program to rebuild and repair the homes of Helene survivors.
On Thursday, leaders said there will not be enough money to rebuild all eligible applicants' homes through that program.
Renew NC was created instead of going through the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, which was created by former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, to manage rebuilding efforts in Eastern North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. That program has faced criticism for delays, with many survivors waiting years for help, as well as for mismanagement of funds.
At the hearing, Rep. Shelly Willingham asked Matt Calabria, director of the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, about the status of the spending of $217 million in additional funds provided by lawmakers to NCORR. Willingham is a Rocky Mount Democrat and a member of the bipartisan Governmental Operations Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery, chaired by Republicans and created by the Republican-led legislature.
Calabria said he would look into it, but added that “to a large degree, the advocacy we are doing” for Western North Carolina “has also shaken loose some of the Eastern North Carolina and other regional projects that have just been sitting for so long.”
The $217 million followed a request from NCORR after it acknowledged accounting errors. The money was provided on top of $779 million in federal funds, as well as other state funds already received and spent.
The News & Observer requested an update from NCORR on the status of remaining projects in March. Following are the questions and answers provided by a spokesperson.
Q: Pryor Gibson, who leads NCORR, told lawmakers in November 2025 that 328 projects remained. Will NCORR complete the remaining projects, and if so, by when?
A: The ReBuild NC Homeowner Recovery Program is on track to complete all remaining projects ahead of the legislative deadline this fall.
To date, the program has helped 4,133 eastern North Carolina families return to safer, more resilient homes. There are 110 projects currently in the construction phase and one project remains in the preconstruction phase.
Q: How much of the $217 million provided by lawmakers to finish the work has been spent so far, and how has it been used?
A: As of March 20, 2026, NCORR has expended $169,139,878 of the $217 million in state funds. The balance of $47,860,122 has been fully obligated for completion of the remaining homeowner recovery projects.
