Governor Stein Advocates for $19B In Federal Helene Recovery Funds

NASW-NC supports Governor Stein’s request for $19 billion in federal funds for Helene recovery and rebuilding.

The state estimates an overall need of $821 million to repair healthcare facilities and address urgent needs in public health, social services, mental health, childcare, and other health needs. In addition to the physical structure, funding for community services and mental health support is needed.

Governor Stein’s request includes:

Office of Child Family Services (OCFS)

Child welfare grant programs – $4.5 million

North Carolina requests a total of $4.5 million across four child welfare programs to support the more than 4,000 children in foster care in impacted counties, resource families involved in child welfare, and support programs that aim to reduce the need for foster care. Following Hurricane Florence, US HHS allocated $28 million for Children and Families Services programs to cover similar needs. This funding will ensure that foster care involved youth, and families can continue to access critical services and meet basic needs, while also preventing child abuse and neglect in the impacted counties.

The $4.5 million requested includes:

• $2 million for the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention program to support community-based efforts to reduce child abuse and neglect before it happens;
• $1 million from the John H. Chafee Foster Care program to help eligible young adults who have transitioned out of foster care maintain self-sufficiency;
• $1 million from the Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act program to ensure the state has the resources to safeguard at-risk children; and
• $500,000 in Title IVB-1 funds to provide supports for families impacted by Hurricane Helene to prevent entry into foster care and help displaced families stay together.

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – $44 million

North Carolina requests $44 million in LIHEAP funds to ensure that households can afford their heating bills and access services to remain warm. Approximately 20% of households in the storm-impacted area are eligible for LIHEAP. According to the US Department of Energy’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data Tool, North Carolinians who live below 150% of the federal poverty line face an average energy burden of 14%, requiring additional assistance to pay energy bills.

In addition to heating assistance, North Carolina will use these funds to enable individuals with destroyed homes to access temporary shelter, establish warming centers, cover the purchase and installation costs for generators and utility reconnection, and move individuals to shelters if they do not have access to heating.

Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) – $14.9 million

North Carolina requests a total of $14.9 million in SSBG funding to ensure the well-being of vulnerable children, adults, and families in the Helene-impacted counties. This estimate is based on response and recovery needs reported by NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS). This request is modest at about $3.27 per capita given that US HHS allocated $462 million in SSBG funds for Hurricane Sandy, approximately $21.17 per capita.

Specifically, North Carolina will use the SSBG funds as follows:

• $7 million to support community crisis care, telehealth services, case coordination, and staff retention;
• $2.9 million to help vulnerable adults remain in their communities;
• $4 million to bolster temporary foster care support staff to maintain contact with children in foster care living in congregate settings, assist with Adult Protective Services and Child Protective Services intakes/assessments, and
• $1 million to provide technical assistance to county agencies; and support long-term mold remediation needs not addressed by FEMA-PA.

Community Services Block Grant – $10 million

North Carolina requests $10 million in Community Services Block Grant funds to support continued disaster relief efforts over the next two years. Without this critical federal assistance, the impacted counties will struggle to recover from the devastation and provide essential services to their residents. NC DHHS plans to take steps to prevent benefit duplication for CDBG recipients.

The state will utilize the funds to support economic stability, provide emergency assistance, and improve health outcomes for eligible disaster impacted individuals. Specifically, the state will allocate funds to provide job placement services to individuals, enable access to education and skills training, and ensure children and young adults can maintain access to education and extracurricular activities. Additionally,

Office of Elementary School and Secondary Education (OESE) – $100 million

Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) – $1 million

North Carolina requests $1 million in Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) funding for short-term education-related services following violent or traumatic disruptions to the learning environment. This funding would support overtime for teachers, social workers, counselors, law enforcement and security officers, emergency transportation and other costs to operate school at an alternative site, targeted mental health assessments, and temporary security measures.

Details of the Governor's budget request can be found here.