More recovery money is heading to Western North Carolina to help residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Gov. Josh Stein announced on Friday that the U.S. Department of Labor has released the final $4 million portion of a $10 million federal grant to help local residents get back to work.
The funds, which are part of the Dislocated Worker Grant Program, had been delayed amid the federal government shutdown.
“This federal grant will enable folks in western North Carolina who are out of work to get a job helping their neighbors and businesses recover and rebuild,” Stein said in a statement. “It is a win-win. We have made great progress in western North Carolina, but the work is far from over.”
The grant funds temporary jobs for people working in disaster recovery or humanitarian assistance. Employers include nonprofits, state or local government agencies and private businesses. So far, more than 275 North Carolinians have participated in the program, according to Stein’s office. The state Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions is administering the funding.
A list of current job openings is available on the NC Works website here. Individuals interested in job opportunities through the program can also contact one of five local workplace development boards:
- Foothills WDB (Cleveland, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties)
- High Country WDB (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties)
- Mountain Area WDB (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties)
- Southwestern WDB (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties)
- Western Piedmont WDB (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties).
Applicants must have been either temporarily or permanently laid off due to the storm or meet other criteria.
