Across Western North Carolina, Cisco Crisis Response and 40 Communities are supporting a coalition of partners and community leaders who have come together to repair and rebuild homes in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, leaving behind a trail of catastrophic damage. Floodwaters swallowed roads, bridges crumbled, and families were cut off from power, cell service, and vital resources.
Across the state, over 73,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
Immediately after the storm, Cisco Crisis Response (CCR) mobilized a team of staff and volunteers to provide secure, critical connectivity to frontline responders including state emergency management teams, hospitals, police, and fire departments.
Now — nearly a year after the storm — we’re still here, working with local leaders and nonprofit partners to forge new alliances and a long-term commitment to the community.
Priority one: repairing and rebuilding homes for low-income homeowners
Throughout this mountainous region known for its natural beauty, the devastation caused by water and wind is still visible.
Without significant assistance, low-income homeowners will be hard pressed to repair their damage – much less rebuild. Less than 1 percent of households in the path of the storm in Western North Carolina (WNC) had flood insurance.
Organizations acting alone cannot fill the overwhelming need for support. That’s why Cisco is investing in a new coalition of forward-thinking nonprofits that have come together to centralize and streamline home repair for uninsured or under-insured, low-income households whose homes were damaged but not destroyed by the storm.
The Asheville Regional Coalition for Home Repair (ARCHR) has emerged as an innovative, collaborative response to the needs of this tight-knit community.
ARCHR – transforming the model for home repair
ARCHR is powered by a partnership of four leading local nonprofits, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, Community Action Opportunities, PODER Emma, and Mountain Housing Opportunities. Each partner brings complementary strengths including administrative and financial expertise, site assessment and HVAC specializations, mobile home and language skills, as well as tenured and experienced delivery repair services. Home repairs address critical needs: roof and porch repairs, mold removal, plumbing, accessibility improvements, and more. Costs range from $7,000 to $25,000 per household.
Cisco has invested $1,000,000 to support this initiative, which is enabled by digital tools that centralize intake, assessment, and prioritization — improving speed, coordination, and equity in disaster response.
By leveraging these digital tools to streamline assessments and prioritize repairs by severity and health impact, ARCHR has not only surpassed its original repair goals for 2025 but has also set a new standard for disaster recovery coalitions.
The coalition is on track to support 130 home repairs in 2025 — 20 above the initial target. As of early July, ARCHR has completed repairs for 73 homes and 65 were in progress.
Restoring homes – and hope
Over the past year, CCR has been laying the groundwork for ongoing opportunities for Cisconians to contribute their time, talent, and expertise to the community.
In early August 2025, a team of 22 CCR team members, volunteers, and Cisco leaders gathered in WNC to connect with this extraordinary coalition, better understand the challenges and possibilities ahead, and to lend a hand.
Over 4 days, the team swung hammers on an Asheville Habitat for Humanity build and met with homeowners who have experienced the life changing impact of home repairs through ARCHR.
Teresa’s story illustrates the deep, personal impact of ARCHR’s work and underscores the coalition’s continued commitment to building resilience and hope in Western North Carolina.
Hurricane Helene left Teresa, a former nurse of 30 years, living without power and water after the storm uplifted her septic tank and destroyed her plumbing. Thanks to ARCHR’s coordinated efforts, Teresa regained safe and accessible living conditions.
With Cisco’s support, ARCHR is focusing on more homeowners like her. To date, more than 600 applications have been submitted and more than 80% are at or below 50% of the area’s median income and qualify as eligible for assistance.
Despite surpassing goals, demand far outpaces current resources. There is a projected need for an additional $8 million over the next 3-4 years.
Moving forward – 40 Communities and the road to resilience
In December 2024, Cisco selected WNC as the first of 40 Communities – our bold new initiative to bring the full force of our capabilities, technology, and people to engage, support, and invest in 40 communities worldwide. As an initial investment, we awarded ARCHR a $1M grant to support home repairs for 110 low-income residents in Buncombe and Madison Counties.
Through 40 Communities, we’ll expand on CCR’s progress and commitment to housing in WNC and use ARCHR’s collaborative approach and use of technology as a model for disaster recovery and housing resilience.
We’ll also build essential infrastructure and cybersecurity, develop digital skills for a future-ready work force, and co-create innovative solutions for what matters most to WNC -building a connected, resilient community that thrives.
If you’d like to join us in supporting Western North Carolina, please consider making a donation or sign up to volunteer to support home building and repair through Asheville Habitat for Humanity.
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