WASHINGTON — An analysis found that former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration directed roughly $100 million in disaster funding to affordable housing projects after two major hurricanes, even as hundreds of storm victims remained in temporary housing.
The money was allocated by the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, or NCORR, a $1 billion agency that was facing a significant funding shortfall, according to the John Locke Foundation, a free-market think tank based in the state.
Among the projects was Starway Village, a $9 million, 278-unit development located about 12 miles from the coast. The complex opened to residents earning up to $45,000 annually.
Applicants for those affordable housing developments were not required to have been victims of either hurricane.
Cooper’s team declined to comment. NCORR, however, defended the program and said funding affordable housing did not slow the recovery of residents whose homes were damaged by the storms.
“When determining program needs and funding, NCORR worked in collaboration with HUD [Department of Housing & Urban Development] to determine and prioritize needs in storm-impacted areas, while also ensuring full compliance with federal requirements for use of the funds,” an NCORR spokesperson told The Post.
“When making decisions specifically about affordable housing, NCORR also sought and received input from local governments, community organizations, public comment periods and roundtable events.”
The funding followed Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, storms that caused extensive damage across North Carolina.
Years later, a WHQR report found that more than 1,000 families still lacked homes that had been rebuilt or repaired.
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NCORR said directing more than $100 million in disaster relief funding toward affordable housing was consistent with standard recovery practices, arguing that states typically include such projects in their rebuilding plans.
“HUD strongly encourages all grantees to have a varied program portfolio, while also requiring a demonstrated need before proposed funding can be approved in an action plan,” the spokesperson said.
“Due to the storm impacts experienced by both homeowners and renters, housing availability is considered a key component of community recovery.”
The spokesperson also said NCORR’s ReBuild NC program had helped 4,240 families in eastern North Carolina return to homes that were safer and more resilient.
Cooper, now running for a closely watched Senate seat against Republican Michael Whatley, has previously faced scrutiny over the pace of the state’s hurricane recovery. A state audit found that more than 1,100 home reconstruction projects remained incomplete when he left office.
The audit also reported that 3,522 homes had been rebuilt.
Cooper has said he “helped repair or rebuild more than 14,000 homes.” His campaign said that figure included projects beyond the HUD-funded reconstruction work examined in the audit.
The audit found that North Carolina took an average of 138 days to determine whether applicants qualified for reconstruction aid. Once applicants were approved, construction typically did not begin for another four years.
The Post made repeated attempts to obtain comment from Cooper’s campaign.
Cooper is broadly regarded as the Senate race’s frontrunner. The Cook Political Report rates the contest as “lean” Democrat, while the latest RealClearPolitics polling average gives Cooper a 9-point advantage over Whatley.
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