Advocacy

Leveraging numbers, diversity, and community to influence decision makers

“It is getting harder and harder each time we come to Raleigh to hear the words, Don't worry, we're just getting started. I'm sure it is even harder for our friends, family, and partners from the East who've been waiting much longer….”

Sam Stites, Just Economics of Western North Carolina

“Our local counties need to be offered the support to make those decisions autonomously to best meet the needs of their communities as they know them.”

Amber Dixon, Director of Community Health Initiatives, Western Youth Network (Watauga County)

“The $1 million that [the General Assembly] granted for rental assistance was tremendous, but it only helped a small group. And individuals are still in need of help, and they don't know where to go…”

Elisa Quarles, Asheville resident and Helene survivor (Buncombe County)

Press Event:
June 2025 - Raleigh, NC

We had two dozen people with us in Raleigh and nearly 100 listening in on Zoom. In case you missed it though, here's the recording of our first ever press event at the North Carolina Legislative Building.

Observa y escucha en español. Both videos include ASL interpretation and auto-generated captioning.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Asking FEMA to simplify the application process for federal disaster recovery assistance

May 2025

Docket No. DHS-2025-0013. Navigating the federal disaster recovery assistance landscape remains an immense challenge for survivors of disasters. Two pieces of legislation, the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act in the Senate and the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act in the House, currently hold bipartisan support, and seek to simplify the application process for federal disaster recovery assistance. As an organization dedicated to advancing disaster resilience in the South, especially in the wake of Hurricane Helene, we request FEMA to develop a Universal Disaster Assistance Application to create a single point of entry for FEMA, HUD, SBA, USDA and other disaster recovery assistance programs. A universal application 1) minimizes duplication of information and benefits; 2) reduces costs and time; and 3) ensures that everyone, everywhere can recover from disasters that damage our communities and impede economic growth.

Click to Read

PUBLIC COMMENT

North Carolina CDBG-DR Draft Action Plan for Helene

March 2025

In reviewing the draft Plan, we are encouraged to see a number of provisions that align with the principles of a full and wide-ranging recovery for all North Carolinians. We also offer the following observations and recommendations to strengthen the state’s Plan.