This story is part of Living in Limbo, a special package of stories exploring housing after Helene through four unique angles. Read the rest of the stories.
Usually, the grassy lot in front of Covenant Community Church is empty. Often, it’s where the church’s neighbors walk their dogs.
Now, it’s where Bonnie Christine Goggins-Jones and her two teenage grandkids, Kendrick and Tamaya, live in a RV, along with eight other families who were displaced by Hurricane Helene in late September.
Dubbed the “Covenant Community Village,” the two-acre lot is one of the many patchwork initiatives led by community members to help people get back on their feet.
The home Goggins-Jones rented in Black Mountain was destroyed in Helene’s assault on Western North Carolina. The family was forced to leave after flood waters from the Swannanoa River swept away or ruined most everything in its wake.
They slept in a motel for a few weeks, until Goggins-Jones received a donated camper from a charity based in Charlotte. But Goggins-Jones soon realized the camper leaked when it rained. It was also difficult to find a place to park her camper.
In the nick of time, a private donor from Raleigh gave her a replacement RV. For about a month, Goggins-Jones parked it on land owned by Pineview Buildings, a company in Swannanoa that hosts a community aid site called the Blessing Barn.
But there were issues at that space too.
Pineview Buildings owner Mike Stewart told BPR the site ceased letting campers stay there due to multiple issues, including sewage management problems and other risks, like reported thefts. “It turned into a little bit of a mess,” he said. “But we gave them plenty of time. Told them to find a more permanent place and we gave them their campers. So they left here with a place to live.”
Goggins-Jones and the other people staying in campers at the property were all asked to vacate the premises in early December.
She wishes she could move into a new apartment but said she doesn’t have the funds to put down a security deposit and pay monthly rent. She said that she tried to apply for FEMA aid, but so far has only received a $750 emergency stipend.
“I sent receipts in for reimbursements and it’s still pending. It's been pending for months,” she said. “I don't have time during the day to go out and try to find what site they had, or where they’re at, because I work. So it's just a big mess.”
“I sent receipts in for reimbursements and it’s still pending. It's been pending for months,” she said. “I don't have time during the day to go out and try to find what site they had, or where they’re at, because I work. So it's just a big mess.”
Goggins-Jones isn’t alone in her struggle to provide stability for school age children in the aftermath of Helene.

The number of McKinney-Vento students has more than quadrupled in the fallout of Helene. As of January, an estimated 1,252 students in Buncombe County are classified as homeless or housing insecure under the federal McKinney-Vento guidelines, according to Ken Ulmer, BCS spokesperson.
The heartbreaking impact on families with children specifically is one major reason Covenant Community Church’s pastor decided to open up the land and opportunity for Helene survivors needing a place to park an RV or camper.
“That number alone was the breaking point for me,” said Pastor Sam Burleson.
In order to expedite the process of creating the village, Burleson successfully advocated for zoning changes from Buncombe County, calling them “profoundly human.”
“We want to give families that dignity to have their own private space,” Burleson said. “We want this to be a true place of healing and not a place where they just experience more chaos, because we've all experienced too much.”
The village is here for the long haul, Burleson told BPR. He is prepared to house residents for up to two years. There are mailboxes and storage units available for residents. And this month, the church plans to break ground on a plumbing and electrical system for the RVs to plug into.

In the meantime, people who have already moved in, like Goggins-Jones, are relying on generators and portable shower units stationed on the property.
The situation isn’t perfect. Goggins-Jones is still learning how to navigate certain aspects of RV life – from cooking with propane tanks to warming the space on chilly winter nights. Now that her teenagers share a bunk bed, there’s more bickering between the two, she said.
But Goggins-Jones said she is grateful to be there. And when she does find another place, she said, “we won’t be in no water or no mountain that's gonna slide.”
Gerard Albert III contributed to this report.