Residents of 39 counties may now apply to participate in the temporary jobs program that puts North Carolinians to work on recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley announced today. This represents an expansion from the 25-county area that was first announced in October.
“Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on communities and devastated people’s livelihoods,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Unemployment in the west has spiked. This program will get folks back to work while helping their neighbors recover and rebuild.”
The program is funded by part of a $10 million Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant, which the U.S. Department of Labor awarded to support North Carolina in the wake of Helene. The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS) requested the funds.
The eligible counties covered by this grant 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 counties.
“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,” said Secretary Lee Lilley. “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.”
Through the two-year grant, eligible residents of the 39 counties can be employed in jobs that support either clean-up and recovery from the storm’s devastation or humanitarian assistance to residents of the affected areas. Supported by the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act, Dislocated Worker Grants like this one fund temporary jobs in response to large, unexpected events that cause significant job losses. Participants may be employed for up to 12 months and potentially work for nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, or private businesses engaged in relevant disaster-recovery work.
Examples of the grant in action to date include Springhouse Farm LLC in Watauga County, where workers have assisted with debris removal and rebuilding, and Haywood Waterways Association, Inc., which has been able to hire people to help clean up creeks and streams in Haywood County.
In addition to temporary employment, this grant can support employment and training services that help people find new jobs and pay for workforce training – at community colleges, for example.
Workers may be eligible for the grant by being temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the hurricane, or by meeting certain other criteria.
To apply for the Hurricane Helene dislocated worker grant program, residents should contact their local NCWorks Career Center. Contact information is available at www.ncworks.gov.
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This project is 100 percent funded by a Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) from the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, as part of an initial award to North Carolina totaling $10 million.