HUD Announces Nearly $4.8 Million to Support Homeless North and South Carolinians After Hurricane Helene

Funding to provide shelter for homeless families.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced nearly $4.8 million to support people experiencing homelessness in communities across North Carolina and South Carolina recovering from Hurricane Helene. Through HUD’s Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program, funding will be allocated to Winston-Salem, NC ($548,000); Charlotte, NC ($1,000,000); Greenville County, SC ($162,699); Lexington County, SC ($108,780); and the State of South Carolina ($2,957,704) to address needs not fully met by existing federal disaster relief programs. The funding announced today is the latest response and recovery action by the Biden-Harris Administration to provide families, business owners, farmers, and other impacted communities with the support and assistance they need following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impacts across the Southeast and Appalachia.

“When disaster strikes, people experiencing homelessness need immediate help” said HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman. “HUD is committed to partnering with state and local leaders in South Carolina and North Carolina to deliver lifesaving assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.”

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross and local community members have stepped up to assist survivors, the severity of the damage and displacement experienced in the State of South Carolina has exceeded local capacity and more assistance is needed. RUSH funding is intended to address the immediate unmet needs for homelessness assistance and homelessness prevention in declared disaster areas by supporting people who experienced or were at risk of homelessness before the disaster. Funding provided by HUD will allow the state and localities to provide emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, which provides up to 24 months of rental assistance, financial assistance and supportive wrap-around services.

“The RUSH program will fill the gaps in federal assistance, specifically reaching people who are most vulnerable in the wake of disasters,” said Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. “HUD remains committed to strengthening our support for disaster impacted communities moving forward.”

RUSH funding provides rapid assistance under the Emergency Solutions Grant program for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in eligible declared disaster areas where the Federal Emergency Management Agency has activated Transitional Sheltering Assistance. This funding is available to help communities provide outreach, emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, homelessness prevention assistance, and supportive services.

HUD’s role in supporting communities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters continues to expand as the frequency and intensity of disasters increases. Today’s announcements build on the efforts to bolster how HUD addresses disaster recovery, including the recent establishment of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Office of Disaster Management.

HUD and FEMA recently published a report on the Pre-Disaster Housing Planning Initiative to promote collaborative approaches to disaster housing recovery challenges and to bolster state planning for housing recovery before disasters occur. These steps will strengthen the agency’s disaster and resilience work and expedite the recovery process for communities so that assistance can quickly reach those who need it most.