Action Needed: Public Comment for WNC Recovery before 3/20
The NC Department of Commerce is currently accepting public comments on its plans to spend $1.4 billion of federal Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) and the statewide arts community to make their voices heard to ensure that the creative economy is prioritized in those recovery plans.
The state’s proposed CDBG-DR HUD Action Plan Draft outlines how state government is proposing to invest $1.4 billion in western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. Now is the time to make your comments online making the following points:
- The creative economy in the impacted counties generated $1.2 billion in sales and 17.5k full-time jobs (plus thousands of part-time jobs) in 2022 and was devastated by the flooding due to property damage and business interruption.
- Arts businesses (both nonprofit and for-profit) should be a priority when designing economic recovery programs.
- The arts have a strong positive impact on public health and well-being.
- Prioritizing the arts was essential in New Orleans and Puerto Rico for their economic revitalization after major disasters.
Please make the time to submit comments BEFORE March 20th when the public comment period ends.