Temporary housing database launched for families displaced by Hurricane Helene
Local real estate groups have launched a website aimed at helping people displaced by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina to find temporary housing.
HurricaneHomes.org — built by Cary-based doorify Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in collaboration with Canopy Realtor Association and Solid Earth — offers a curated list of active rental properties around the state.
It also shows additional listings from other states for those seeking housing outside the region.
“We wanted to leverage the thousands of active rental listings we already have in the MLS,” said Matt Fowler, CEO of doorify MLS, in a release. “By making these listings visible, we [hope] to create a resource that simplifies the process of locating housing.”
doorify MLS covers 16 counties — including Wake, Durham, Johnston and Orange — and is the operating system for over 15,000 real estate brokers and agents in five Realtor associations in the greater Triangle.
The database’s launch comes as the group seeks to rebrand as more “consumer facing and transparent” amid sweeping industry changes to Realtors’ compensation.
HurricaneHomes.org has around 45,000 listings. They range from one- to four-bedrooms, in metros like Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh, as well as in outskirt towns like Knightdale.
Rentals starts as low as $995 per month, depending on location and type.
doorify MLS is also encouraging its listing brokers to identify properties that could be temporarily offered as rentals, Fowler said. “This is a small way we can help those displaced by Hurricane Helene,” he said.
Separately, FEMA is accepting housing assistance applications throughout areas affected by Helene.
Shelter numbers continue to decline, with 17 shelters housing just more than 700 occupants, FEMA said on Oct. 9.
Over 2,600 people who cannot return home are staying in lodging through FEMA’s Transitional Shelter Assistance program.
FEMA said residents in counties covered by the federal emergency declaration who have applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to stay temporarily in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA while they work on their long-term housing plan.
People do not need to request this assistance, FEMA said. FEMA will notify them of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message or email, depending upon the method they selected in their application.
For current application timelines, visit disasterassistance.gov or FEMA’s state-specific Helene disaster site for North Carolina.
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Temporary housing database launched for families displaced by Hurricane Helene."
