After Trump WNC visit, protesters call for further FEMA hotel voucher extensions

USA Today

27-01-2025

After Trump WNC visit, protesters call for further FEMA hotel voucher extensions
ASHEVILLE - About 40 people gathered at Pack Square Plaza downtown on Jan. 24 to demand an extension of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program. The protest came on the immediate heels of President Donald Trump's visit to Swannanoa.
Protestors, led by the Helene Survivors Committee, braced against the cold, holding signs that said, "housing is a human right!" and "WNC needs full federal relief now!"
A Jan. 22 news release ahead of the protest said it was already being organized before Trump's visit was announced.
The short-term sheltering program pays for hotel rooms for homeowners and renters displaced by Helene. Though FEMA reports aiding over 13,000 Western North Carolina households since early October, for some it has been a source of confusion and frustration.
Among the organizers was Maryjo Tucker. She said she was part of the TSA program and was deemed ineligible due to a missed inspection. Tucker said her voucher ended Jan. 14, but community members paid for the room for several nights, and now she's using reward points to stay at the hotel.
Once that ends, she doesn't know where she'll go.
She said the protest was calling for more assistance, be it local, state or federal aid.
"That's the main point today: More housing now," Tucker said.
More: Roughly 3,000 have left FEMA Helene hotels this month; over 2,700 remain. What to know
'We need actual action'
Trump got a few shoutouts in the afternoon's chants as protesters called for more help — like, "Trump, Trump, can't you see? We need aid in WNC."
"This is not a photo-op, we need actual action. We need money. We need resources. We need our community members to not be thrown out in the cold. Isn't that right?" organizer Cody Cogdell said over the mic.
Cogdell pointed to Trump's proposal that states respond to their own disasters rather than the federal government.
"Like the state has helped us," Cogdell said. "Whether it's the federal government or the state, the problem still remains that our system does not work for people, it works for profit. We need a new system that works for the people."
Trump isn't worried about "bad outcomes," Cogdell said. "He's worried about bad press."
How many people are in the TSA program?
There have been multiple extensions as people have urged the agency for more time. FEMA posted on the social platform X Jan. 23 that the program was extended through May 26 at the request of Gov. Josh Stein.
As of Jan. 20, FEMA said there are 2,700 households in the program. Of those, it said 740 are no longer eligible to remain in the TSA program.
After a recent change, instead of seven days, survivors who are no longer eligible for the program will have a three-week notice, the agency said.
Here's the TSA program's eligibility standards:
A home inspection indicated no eligible damages to a home or rental unit caused by Helene.
A home inspection determined their home is now habitable.
FEMA has been unable, after multiple attempts from case worker or inspector, to reach the survivor.
A survivor has missed multiple home inspections.
A survivor withdrew from FEMA's Individual Assistance program.
A survivor was unhoused prior to the disaster.
'I want to be clear, this program is not ending for Western North Carolina,' Federal Coordinating Officer Brett Howard said of TSA in the Jan. 20 release.
'We understand the great need survivors have at the time and this program will last as long as necessary. That said, the length of eligibility for an individual survivor will be based on their individual circumstances. FEMA staff are working daily with survivors and on their cases to help them find permanent housing solutions.'
FEMA has provided more than $316 million in cash grants to Western North Carolina survivors, including more than $6.2 million in rental assistance. The U.S. Small Business Administration has also approved more than $213 million in low-interest loans to help survivors. Those loans are 0% interest for the first year.
More: Which Asheville city parks are still closed? Staff give updates on FEMA reimbursement
More: Trump in Asheville updates: President to get briefing on Helene recovery, visit with families
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [e-mail] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.