Stein announces expansion of jobs program focused on Tropical Storm Helene recovery

Posted by Admin January 17, 2025 Jobs

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A temporary jobs and training program for North Carolina residents in counties affected by Tropical Storm Helene has been expanded, Gov. Josh Stein and N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley announced Jan. 17.

The grant-funded program first rolled out across 25 counties in October, employing residents in jobs that support storm clean-up, recovery or humanitarian assistance. With the announced expansion, residents from 39 counties will now be eligible.

“Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on communities and devastated people’s livelihoods,” Stein said in a Jan. 17 news release. “Unemployment in the west has spiked. This program will get folks back to work while helping their neighbors recover and rebuild.”

In Buncombe County, which Helene hit particularly hard, unemployment spiked to more than 10% in October, rising from the lowest to highest rate in the state just one month after the storm. By November, the unemployment rate had dipped by 3 percentage points to 7.2%, according to preliminary figures from the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The newly expanded jobs program is funded by a portion of a $10 million Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant the U.S. Department of Labor awarded the state after the N.C. Department of Commerce requested the funds.

Eligible counties now include: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey.

“Recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene is North Carolina’s top priority, and that includes helping people find work and rebuild their careers,” Lilley said. “Through this grant program, we are already placing workers in jobs that address storm damage and serve their communities, thanks to strong collaboration by employers, local workforce development boards, and NCWorks Career Centers.”

In addition to temporary employment, the grant supports employment and training services that help people find new jobs and pay for workforce training, according to the release.

Workers may be eligible for the grant by being temporarily or permanently laid because of Helene, or by meeting other criteria. Participants may be employed for up to 12 months and work for nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, or private businesses engaged in relevant disaster recovery work.

Some program participants have worked at Springhouse Farm in Watauga County, assisting with debris removal and rebuilding, according to the release. Others have worked for Haywood Waterways Association in Haywood County, cleaning up area creeks and streams.

To apply for the worker grant program, residents should contact their local NCWorks Career Center. Contact information is available at www.ncworks.gov.

Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.