Name: Florida pledges relief for struggling renters, homeowners
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Florida pledges relief for struggling renters, homeowners

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AdvertisementBy Orlando SentinelJun 29, 2020 at 5:30 amFlorida will give out $240 million in federal CARES Act money to help families struggling to pay rent and mortgages amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Orange County is likely to get a good chunk of the money.Half, $120 million, will be assigned to counties to hand out to residents for rental and homeowner assistance programs.AdvertisementOrange County’s Individual and Family Assistance Program was overwhelmed by demand this month forcing an application portal to close minutes after it opened.The county, which tweaked its application process after two failed starts, is reviewing over 30,000 applications submitted by residents seeking $1,000 grants from $36.5 million the county set aside from federal coronavirus relief funds it received, a program manager, Dianne Arnold, said during a presentation earlier this week to Orange County commissioners.AdvertisementState officials didn’t say when the new funding would be available or how people could apply for it.Officials in hard-hit Orange and Osceola counties could not immediately say how much they expect to get as they are awaiting details from the state. But a statement issued Thursday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said funding per county will be based on a county’s unemployment figures.Central Florida’s jobless figures have ballooned since the pandemic led to the closings of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and other attractions.More than 2.4 million people have applied for unemployment benefits in Florida since March.Osceola County had the state’s highest unemployment rate (31.1 %) in May followed by Orange County (23.2 %) and Lake County (20.6 %).Osceola County spokesman Mark Pino said the county hopes to receive “significant funding from this new and much- needed program” to help its residents.The pandemic kicked millions of Floridians out of work and left them struggling to pay rent, mortgages, utilities and medical bills.Many of the state’s jobless face a grim future as a temporary ban on evictions imposed by DeSantis is set to expire July 1.AdvertisementThe $600-per-week federal unemployment benefits also run out on July 25, and utilities across the state can resume disconnections next month.DeSantis’ initiative includes two funding pools totaling $240 million with $10 million more set aside for expected “operational costs.”In addition to the $120 million to be divided among the state’s 67 counties, another $120 million will go to families living in affordable housing units to help cover rent.The Florida Housing Finance Corporation, or FHFC, will reimburse participating properties to subsidize eligible households’ rents for each impacted month. The rental assistance will be available to help pay a household’s rent for eligible months from July through December 2020. The household may be eligible for assistance to pay back rent accrued during April, May and June.FHFC will provide details as they become available at , officials said.“Many families across our state have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 through no fault of their own,” the governor said in a release issued by his office. “This initiative strives to provide financial assistance through multiple affordable housing programs to ensure these Floridians receive the support they need during this difficult time.”AdvertisementAs one of Florida’s most populous counties, Orange received about $243 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act — known as the CARES Act — which Congress passed with bipartisan support and President Trump signed into law March 27. The $2 trillion package also provided stimulus money up to $1,200 for some Americans.Orange County invested $72.9 million to help small businesses.It also set aside $72.9 million for social services and community needs, including $36.5 million which funds the Individual and Family Assistance Program.As of last week, the county’s Small Business Grant Program had approved 1,032 applications for businesses seeking a grant of $10,000, totaling $10.3 million.The program set a goal of helping at least 6,500 small businesses but about 2,100 of the 4,600 applications submitted so far have been denied.The county is working with those businesses to fix application deficiencies, said Eric Ushkowitz, the county’s economic development administrator.Advertisement“Hopefully we can turn some of those denials around,” he said.County commissioners also broadened for the program, now opening it up to companies with 100 workers or less.WeeklyA weekly update on health news in Florida. &gt; The Individual and Family Assistance Program has submitted about 3,100 approved applications to the comptroller’s office to issue $1,000 checks.The application process frustrated thousands of hopeful applicants June 8 and 9 when the online portal was forced to close shortly after opening because of demand.“We started out very slowly but we picked up steam,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said this week.He credited staff tweaks to the application process.AdvertisementThe portal, , is currently closed but may reopen at a future date.Applicants must be an adult, prove they are U.S. citizens or a permanent legal resident, pay rent or have their primary residence in Orange County, and be able to show they lost a job or pay from a reduction in hours at work as a result of the ongoing pandemic.To contact Stephen Hudak, email Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Orlando SentinelJun 29, 2020 at 5:30 amFlorida will give out $240 million in federal CARES Act money to help families struggling to pay rent and mortgages amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Orange County is likely to get a good chunk of the money.Half, $120 million, will be assigned to counties to hand out to residents for rental and homeowner assistance programs.AdvertisementOrange County’s Individual and Family Assistance Program was overwhelmed by demand this month forcing an application portal to close minutes after it opened.The county, which tweaked its application...

Florida pledges relief for struggling renters, homeowners

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