Goals of the program:

✅ Train residents

✅ Repair homes

✅ Provide participants with certifications, stipends, tools, and wraparound support

✅ Connect graduates to living-wage construction jobs

Eligibility:

✅ Open to anyone 18 years or older

✅ Must live in a Helene-affected area within Buncombe County

✅ Applicants must reside in eligible ZIP codes

Why participate?

✅ You'll learn construction skills

✅ You'll earn certifications

✅ You'll get paid while you learn

✅ You'll rebuild your community

Meet Tah — one of many Buncombe County residents ready to rebuild stronger than before. Through the Under Instruction Long-Term Recovery Program, he's turning a fresh start into a future in construction. Like Tah, you can build your own fresh start — and help your neighbors do the same.

What is this program about?

The Hood Huggers Foundation's Under Instruction Long Term Recovery Program leads a community-based recovery and workforce effort to rebuild storm-damaged homes across Buncombe County, training and employing residents most affected by Hurricane Helene. This program is funded in part by the Red Cross Long-Term Recovery Grant.

Why is it necessary?

• After Hurricane Helene, Buncombe County faced a double crisis: widespread job losses and deepening inequality. The county’s unemployment rate surged from 2.5% to 8.8%, with major hits to construction, tourism, and small businesses.

• At the same time, poverty remains a persistent challenge — 12.2% of residents live below the poverty line, with rates exceeding 28% in some neighborhoods.

• Youth unemployment in target communities reaches nearly 13%, and many families lack insurance or savings to rebuild.

Combined with a national shortage of over half a million construction workers in 2024, these factors have left Buncombe’s hardest-hit neighborhoods lagging in the recovery.

Together, we're rebuilding homes, restoring hope, and creating opportunities that last.