
RALEIGH — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is asking for a six-month extension of transitional housing assistance, per a letter sent to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell on Jan. 16.
Specifically, Stein is asking for FEMA to extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program for Helene victims through Sept. 30, 2025.
“The people of western North Carolina are experiencing chaos and uncertainty that is untenable,” Stein said in a press release. “That is why I am urging FEMA to extend its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program for six months to get folks through the winter in safe, secure shelter as they rebuild their homes.”
Stein’s letter follows public outcry after dozens of Helene survivors were kicked out of hotels ahead of a recent winter storm despite FEMA promising to extend hotel vouchers until Jan. 25.
FEMA had originally only offered a 24-hour extension for the vouchers ahead of the storm but extended it days later on the evening of Jan. 13. That extension came literally hours prior to the Jan. 14 deadline for around 3,500 people whose Transitional Sheltering Assistance was ending. FEMA claimed the assistance for those individuals was ending either due to being placed in a temporary home or because FEMA was unable to contact them.
“My office has been helping dozens of Helene victims today who have been told their hotel vouchers expired despite not having a safe and livable home to go back to. Their homes have mold and broken windows…it’s 20 degrees tonight,” wrote Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in a Jan. 14 post on X. “Hotels are trying to help them, and a number of nonprofits are stepping up to pay for victims to stay in their hotels so FEMA has another day to get its act together.
“This is a total breakdown on the part of FEMA that is causing unnecessary pain for families. FEMA insists it has adequate boots on the ground in WNC while it responds to the wildfires in CA. If that were so, this would not be happening.” He also said he would continue to push for help for the families impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Tillis’ colleague, Sen. Ted Budd, also took to X to express his outrage.
“My office is hearing from dozens in WNC who have been kicked out of their hotels tonight, despite FEMA’s announcement yesterday that they were extending Transitional Sheltering Assistance through January 25,” wrote Budd. “This is unacceptable. This needs to be fixed TONIGHT.”
Budd followed up in another X post, stating he had spoken to Criswell, writing that they were “working through the list of those in need of lodging.” He added a link for constituents to contact his office for help.
JP Decker, executive director of Mercury 1 Charity, reached out to Budd on X asking what was needed to help the people who were being kicked out of hotels. Mercury 1 Charity, a nonprofit started in 2011 by conservative media personality Glenn Beck, reportedly ended up paying for additional hotel room stays for an untold number of victims.
According to a December press release by FEMA, Helene victims in North Carolina have until Feb. 6 to apply for assistance. The release lists the following ways to apply:
- Visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). To find the center location nearest you go to fema.gov/drc.
- Go online to disasterassistance.gov.
- Download the FEMA App for mobile devices.
- Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and midnight. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.