October 16, 2018
On October 15, legislators came together to pass important hurricane relief for those affected by Florence. The legislation included Single Stream Funding for LME/MCOs to provide MH/IDD/SUD services to those assessed to be in need of care that reside in federally declared disaster areas.
The bill also included funding for housing to allow the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to assist a broader array of individuals and families rebuild. The bill allows assistance for household incomes that equal, but do not exceed 100% of the local area’s median income, adjusted for family size, pursuant to HUD data. Funds will be used to serve individuals with varying incomes with new construction or rehabilitate existing homes. This provision also includes those impacted by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
A new Office of Recovery and Resiliency (Office) in the Department of Public Safety will be responsible for the execution of multi-year recovery and resiliency projects and administer funds provided by the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program. The Office will provide general disaster recovery coordination and public information; citizen outreach and application case management; audit, finance, compliance, and reporting on disaster recovery funds; and program and construction management services. The Office shall also contract for services from vendors specializing in housing, construction, and project management services.