Asheville outlines updated housing recovery plan, reboots regulatory work after Helene

Asheville City Council heard an update on the city’s affordable housing recovery strategy and a refreshed six‑month implementation timetable during the manager’s report, with staff emphasizing rental assistance, home‑repair programs and a return to regulatory changes paused after Hurricane Helene.

The manager, Deborah Campbell, and city staff said the recovery effort has reprioritized rental assistance and home‑repair work begun immediately after the storm while other elements of the affordable housing work plan have been rescheduled. Nikki Reed, director of Community and Economic Development, told council staff shifted the housing trust fund to a rolling application cycle to accelerate closings for ready projects and prioritized loans that meet key agency deadlines.

The update laid out how staff will use FEMA, SBA and HUD data to target assistance. Reed cited a FEMA data extract (Jan. 24) showing about 2,350 self‑reported applicants claiming storm damage inside Asheville city limits; of those, 1,402 properties had FEMA‑verified losses, 1,240 of which reported homeowners insurance and 155 of which did not. Staff said they will cross‑reference that data with SBA loan records, HUD’s Housing Impact Assessment when available, and the city’s permitting and damage assessment records to inform program targeting.

Reed said the housing trust fund is a current bright spot: 118…