Charlotte-area mayor’s claim about threats to Western NC families untrue, officials say
Officials are rejecting another claim about conditions in western North Carolina, this time an accusation that a county is threatening families with kids due to their housing after Helene.
Robert Burns, mayor of the city of Monroe, took to X the Sunday before Election Day this week with an urgent message.
"I just got word that DSS and the Department of Welfare are threatening families who are living in tents and trailers with school-age children in Spruce Pine because the kids are going back to school this week!" the post read. "!?"
The post made its rounds, with more than a thousand reposts and impressions. But officials involved with child protection efforts say the claim is untrue and another example of misinformation that adds more stress to a stressful situation.
Wendy Boone, director of social services in Mitchell County, home to Spruce Pine, said her office is not investigating any matters that match the Burns' claim.
While her office does investigate abuse and neglect, being a hurricane-displaced family does not meet that criteria of either under state law, she said. False information only makes the job harder, she said.
"Misinformation makes people hesitant to accept our help, which ultimately hurts the children and families in those situations," Boone said.
'It's very concerning'
The Charlotte Observer reached out to the Monroe mayor , whose city is southeast of Charlotte, multiple times via phone and email seeking evidence about his claims but did not hear back. Burns did address requests for proof on X.
"Here's the deal. I know many want personal proof and videos of the DSS and DoW threatening to investigate families who aren't providing "proper shelter and living conditions," but many mountain folk don't want their videos directly posted because they don't want pity and don't trust the government," he wrote on X Sunday. "That's why I often do videos with volunteers. Just FYI. Keep spreading the word!!!"
Counties provide child welfare services in North Carolina, under the supervision of the state Department of Health and Human Services. Kelly Haight Connor, a DHHS spokesperson, said that the claim circulated by Burns is false.
"There is no truth to this rumor," Connor said in an email to the Observer. "Every person that is or was in a shelter in North Carolina has received support from a team of state, county, and/or federal staff to identify resources and services, including housing assistance, that may be needed by families that were impacted by Hurricane Helene."
More of the same?
Since Helene hit North Carolina in late September, state and federal officials have flagged false claims related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, missing persons and much more.
Claims have also circulated online about Red Cross shelters closing and that if families had nowhere to go, social service departments would threaten to take children away.In a social media video this month, the Western North Carolina chapter of Red Cross responded to claims about shelters closing and removing people.
In the Nov. 1 post, a Red Cross volunteer said that some of the public facilities the organization was using are re-opening, meaning the Red Cross has had to find new locations.
Deana Joy, executive director of the Children Advocacy Center of North Carolina, said false claims about government agencies threatening families without cause hinders efforts to help families.
"It puts us in a difficult position," she said, noting that families are "dealing with so much stress already. To have that information be out there and somebody get a hold of it and think 'Oh my gosh, I'm in jeopardy of this happening to me'. It's very concerning."
People living in Western North Carolina will be grappling with aftereffects of the storm for a long time. The state has estimated that approximately 126,000 residences were damaged, with most of them single-family homes, manufactured homes and duplexes.
When asked if the Mitchell County social services department is taking steps to set the record straight about accusations against it, Boone said the agency is bound by confidentiality and cannot speak on "any specific allegations".
But if she could, she's not certain it would help. "I almost feel like it would make it worse and cause even more attention to the false claims," she said.
