Founded as Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, WARM NC began in 1996 in response to hurricanes Bertha and Fran. Volunteers from across our region were organized by leaders of the Wilmington District of the United Methodist Church to repair the damaged homes of low-income and elderly residents. As they entered the homes, volunteers noticed that much of the damage predated the storms - they just did not have the resources to make costly repairs. So, while responding to a natural disaster, WARM volunteers discovered a social disaster: substandard housing.
Since its inception, WARM has helped over 2,000 families in Southeastern North Carolina.
WARM opened the Center for Homeownership Retention in 2023. We will keep going until every homeowner in our service area is able to live safely and independently in the home they worked so hard to pay for.