Asheville nonprofit offers free trauma workshops for Helene survivors

Months after Hurricane Helene tore through Buncombe County, Asheville-based Resources for Resilience is still serving residents who are carrying the storm in everyday life, from stress and burnout to the strain of keeping work, family and finances together.

The nonprofit is offering free trauma support workshops through June 2026 for Western North Carolina residents affected by Helene. Executive Director Ann DuPre Rogers said the sessions are meant to help people cope with stress and hard situations, not replace one-on-one counseling or traditional therapy. That makes the classes a lower-barrier option for people who are not ready for formal mental-health treatment but still need tools to get through the day.

Resources for Resilience said it has served about 6,800 people in the more than 18 months since Helene hit in September 2024. The organization also said its no-cost trauma-informed trainings have already reached more than 5,000 residents across the 25 counties affected by the storm and that it hopes to double that total by June. The work is supported by nearly $3 million in partner funding and carried out with Vaya Health, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Governor’s Recovery Office of Western NC.

Founded in 2017, Resources for Resilience describes its mission as teaching practical, science-based tools for managing stress, preventing burnout and building resilience. Its expanded Helene programming reaches across Western North Carolina, where recovery has stretched well beyond the first response phase. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety says more than 1,100 roadways were reopened after the storm, but the reopening of roads has not ended the emotional fallout for many families.

State health officials have said disasters are traumatic for individuals, families and communities, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to steer people toward behavioral health help when stress turns into emotional fatigue or crisis. For residents who need immediate support, Hope4NC remains available free and confidential 24/7 at 1-855-587-3463.

For Buncombe County residents still living with Helene’s effects, the workshops offer a practical option before the calendar turns to July, and another sign that recovery in Asheville is still about more than rebuilding what washed away.