WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes, then-Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration steered some $100 million in disaster funding toward affordable housing projects — despite hundreds of storm victims stuck in temporary homes, according to an analysis.
Under Cooper’s watch, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) sent $100 million for affordable housing as the $1 billion agency was suffering from a gaping budget shortfall, an analysis by the John Locke Foundation, a free-market think tank in the state, found.
One of the affordable housing projects, Starway Village, was a $9 million 278-unit complex that opened to people earning $45,000 a year, about 12 miles away from the beach.
Critically, those affordable housing projects do not require applicants to be hurricane victims.
Cooper’s team refused to comment, but the state office defended the affordable housing program, arguing it did not hamper the recovery for storm victims.
“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,” a 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 in question came after Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc on the Old North State in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Years after those two storms ripped through North Carolina, a report by WHQR found that over a thousand families were still left without rebuilt or repaired homes.
But an NCORR spokesperson insisted the arrangement of directing over $100 million in disaster relief money to affordable housing projects is normal, claiming that states usually incorporate affordable housing into their recovery 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,” a 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 stressed that “NCORR’s ReBuild NC program has returned 4,240 eastern North Carolina families to safer, more resilient homes.”
Cooper, who is running for a competitive Senate seat against Republican Michael Whatley, previously faced controversy after a state audit found that reconstruction of more than 1,100 homes was unfinished by the time he left office.
It also found that 3,522 homes were rebuilt.
The former governor has said he “helped repair or rebuild more than 14,000 homes,” though his campaign claimed that his estimate referred to more than just the HUD-funded reconstruction efforts cited in the audit.
During his tenure, the Tar Heel State took an average of 138 days to make a decision on whether someone was eligible for reconstruction funds, according to the audit. On average, it took four years after being deemed eligible for construction to begin.
The Post repeatedly reached out to Cooper’s campaign for comment.
Cooper is widely seen as the frontrunner in his Senate race, which the Cook Political Report rates as “lean” Democrat. He also has a 9-percentage-point edge over Whatley in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polling.
