S257 - 2026 Appropriations Act. (SL 2026-41)

Session Year 2024

Overview: Section 5A.7 of S.L. 2026-41 (Senate Bill 257) establishes the Temporary Relocation Assistance Program (Program) within the Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization (DCR). The Program provides for housing assistance funds to any eligible person still working to regain permanent housing after Hurricane Helene. To be eligible, applicants for the Program must already be enrolled in Phase 1 or 2 of the Renew NC Program for home rebuilding, restoration, and construction or otherwise be at 80% of the area's median income. Applicants must also submit a standardized request form, sign a grant agreement, and demonstrate that the applicant has exhausted all other options for housing and has experienced a hardship, like job loss, business failure, severe medical illness or disability, or substantial income reduction.

DCR must require home builders, long-term recovery groups, and vendors involved in the Program to find appropriate housing for enrolled families, and DCR must pay the home builder for approved payments at the time construction costs are paid. Home builders are responsible for cost overages, liability for damages, and may be subject to liquidated damages for failing to meet Program timelines.

Standard Program durations are 81 days for rehabilitation or replacement, and 171 days for reconstruction.

DCR must report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources and the Fiscal Research Division on the Program's implementation no later than September 1, 2026, and every six months thereafter until the Program has terminated.

Section 5A.2(d) of this act appropriated $20 million to NC Emergency Management that may be used by DCR for cashflow needs for the program, and $40 million to the Department of Commerce for use by the Program.

This section became effective July 1, 2026.

Additional Information: