NEWLAND, N.C. — What started as a well-intentioned plan by country music superstar Eric Church to house displaced Hurricane Helene survivors has shifted into a program that will gift homes mostly to "pillars of the community" rather than people directly impacted by the storm.

In the weeks and months after Helene ravaged North Carolina, the western North Carolina native said he wanted to use his $12 million portion of the proceeds from the Concert for Carolina , which he headlined with Luke Combs, to build dozens of homes in Avery County to house Helene victims. Roughly 11 months after the star-studded fundraiser , his charity has identified nine Helene victims who will live rent-free and eventually receive deeds to those homes. The rest will go to longstanding members of the com

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