Tropical Storm Fred Programs
Program Overview
CDBG-DR Allocation
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $7,975,000 CDBG-DR funds to the State of North Carolina on May 24, 2022 (87 FR 31636) to support long-term recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Fred. This amount was later updated to $13,186,000 on January 18, 2023 (88 FR 3198). For the implementation of these programs, Haywood County has been identified as a subrecipient of the State.
Transfer of Administration
HUD agreed to transfer the administration of all Tropical Storm Fred CDBG-DR funds from the Department of Public Safety's North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) to the Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization (DCR). This transfer became effective on July 9, 2026.
Homeownership Assistance Program
The Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP) helps eligible Haywood County residents who are first-time homebuyers overcome financial barriers to purchasing a home following Tropical Storm Fred. The Program assists with eligible homeownership costs, including down payment and eligible closing costs, and requires participants to complete homebuyer education at no cost.
Affordable Housing Development Fund
The Haywood County Affordable Housing Development Fund seeks to create new affordable housing in a way that is responsive to the needs of communities recovering from disasters. For Tropical Storm Fred recovery efforts, Haywood County will offer funding for diverse affordable housing projects that may include single-family homeownership development; small-scale affordable rental housing and homeownership developments; scattered site/infill creation of rental or homeownership housing; and large-scale affordable multifamily rental new construction and/or rehabilitation/conversion.
Additional Information
Homeownership Assistance Program Details
Funding is available through the Haywood County Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP) to help eligible homebuyers purchase a home in Haywood County following Tropical Storm Fred.
- Assistance is available for down payment and eligible closing costs.
- Assistance is limited by the program’s maximum assistance amounts and available funding.
- HAP assistance is provided at closing and is not paid directly to the homebuyer.
The home must be in Haywood County, North Carolina, including the following towns:
- Canton
- Clyde
- Maggie Valley
- Waynesville
HAP is available to eligible homebuyers who meet the program’s income, mortgage, homebuyer status, and other requirements.
Applications are processed on a first-ready, first-served basis, based on the date the applicant provides all required information and documentation needed to determine eligibility, subject to funding availability.
Eligible applicants may include:
- First-Time Homebuyers – A person who has not owned a home during the three years before purchasing a home through HAP.
- First-Generation Homebuyers – A person whose parents or guardians have never owned a home.
- Public Service Employees – Eligible employees who provide public services to the community (a current employee of Haywood County, the Town of Canton, the Town of Clyde, the Town of Maggie Valley, the Town of Waynesville, Haywood County Schools, or Haywood Community College)
Applicants must meet all applicable program requirements.
HAP assistance may be used for:
- Down payment assistance
- Eligible closing costs, including customary and reasonable costs associated with purchasing the home, up to 5% of the purchase price
- Mortgage insurance premiums payable at closing, when allowed by the Program
HAP funds cannot be used for cash back to the homebuyer, personal debts, delinquent property taxes, or to reduce the interest rate or principal balance of the first mortgage.
The home must meet the following basic requirements:
- Be in Haywood County
- Be the homebuyer's primary residence
- Be an eligible 1- or 2-unit home
- Be an existing or newly constructed home that meets program requirements
- Be a stick-built, modular, or eligible manufactured home
- Meet applicable health, safety, environmental, flood, and property standards
- Have an acceptable appraisal, inspection, title, and other required property documentation
- Be purchased through an arm’s-length transaction (a fair transaction between unrelated parties)
Additional property requirements may apply.