City of Orlando offering more emergency rental assistance

The city of Orlando is preparing to distribute another round of emergency rental assistance. The U.S. Treasury Department is sending $8.6 million to help residents behind on their rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city is partnering with accounting firm KPMG and software company Neighborly to administer the program. The city council discussed the plan during Monday’s meeting.

There are some requirements to qualify for assistance.

The program is being funded with COVID-19 Relief funds from the US Department of Treasury. Per the Treasury’s requirements for this program, to be eligible, a household must:

• Have experienced financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 outbreak; and
  
• Include one or more individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
  
• Have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income (which for a family of four is $61,050);
  
• With priority given to households at or below 50% of the area median income (which for a family of four is $38,150) or that have a household member who has been unemployed for 90 days.
  
• Applicants will need to submit proof of occupancy in the rental residence – this can include a copy of a lease, rental agreement, rent receipts, evidence of regular rental payments, or any other documents that show proof of occupancy.
  

The City of Orlando’s program will have the following additional eligibility requirements and program guidelines including:

• Applicants’ rental residence must be located within the Orlando city limits. Applicants can verify their address at orlando.gov/assistance.
  
• Applicants can apply for past due rent and current month rent (up to 12 months) with monthly rent not exceeding $4,000 per month.
  
• Rental assistance payments will be made directly to the landlord.
  
• Assistance with utility payments will not be provided unless the utilities are billed as part of the lease.
  

The online application portal is expected to open by mid-May. To learn more about the program, click HERE.

Cox Media Group