We gathered again on August 29th for our monthly Disaster Recovery Task Force meeting, with Mitch, Jeff, and myself (Sarah) leading the conversation. This group continues to be a space where builders, nonprofits, and community leaders come together to share updates, identify needs, and create partnerships to move the Helene recovery forward.
We’re so grateful to State Rep. Eric Ager (Buncombe), and County Manager Jaime Laughter for joining us to discuss housing, permitting, inspections, economic impacts, and more.
Partnerships in Rebuilding
One of our big focuses right now is strengthening member-to-member connections. We’re exploring ways to bring in suppliers to support a potential repair and rebuild program.
Every nonprofit partner we’re working with is in urgent need of skilled trades. Roofers, electricians, siding crews, grading, drywall, and general contractors are all top priorities. We also know there are some ongoing permit/ inspection barriers that need our collective problem-solving.
To sign up to help in the rebuild process, with a PAYING job with a non profit partner in the repair/ rebuild process, reach out to the following folks.
For more info, you can view our ACE Class from 8/27 “How to profit with a nonprofit” here:
ACE Class
Habitat for Humanity/ ARCHR: (Buncombe / Madison): jjohnson@ashevillehabitat.org
Housing Assistance Corp: (Transylvania/ Henderson): morgan@housing-assistance.com, margaret@housing-assistance.com
Funding & Governance
Our member survey has 49 replies so far, with most responses coming from in-person conversations at the golf tournament. The takeaway? We need a table at every event moving forward to capture more voices, and more of you to stop by and take the survey! We’d love for every single member to take 2-3 minutes to fill it out, even if you didn’t have damage, or it’s been repaired.
Survey here:
There’s a video project we’re releasing to highlight the work of this group to support our membership.
Health & Wellness
Jeff shared updates on resources for members, which will be added to the website soon. We’re also planning another ACE class in September that will feature healthcare professionals and supports for our membership.
Panel Insights
We were grateful to have Representative Ager (Buncombe County) and County Manager Laughter (Transylvania County) join us this month. Both shared valuable insights into the Helene response and the ongoing needs at the state and county level.
A few key takeaways:
- Losing a taxpayer base is a real concern. Between acquisitions, unbuildable land, and business closures, local revenue impacts will be felt for quite some time.
- Transylvania County is facing a shortage of inspectors, which was already an issue before Helene. More inspectors are needed to relieve the backlog and keep permitting moving.
- Rep. Ager encouraged us to connect with Grow NC, which could open doors to additional resources and partnerships.
- The topic of modular housing came up as part of the longer-term rebuild and CDBG-DR conversations.
Moving Forward
Every meeting strengthens the connections between our members, nonprofit partners, and local government leaders. These conversations are not just updates—they’re opportunities to align, collaborate, and keep recovery moving forward. Please join us the last Friday of every month 10-11:30 at Auction House Food & Drink Hall.
