On December 15, 2020, the Board of Commissioners for Polk County, Florida voted to accept an additional $2,812,299.00 of funding from the March 27, 2020, CARES Act (the Act), part of which will be used to provide rental assistance to residents of Polk County. The rental assistance comes in the form of the Polk County CDBG Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program. This program will pay up to six months of delinquent rent or mortgage payments owed by individuals who meet certain eligibility requirements.
The Act made $5 billion available in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds and required it to be distributed in three rounds. The $2,812,299.00 accepted by Polk County is part of the third round of CDBG-CV funds.
This money will be used for Public Facilities in Polk County including, the acquisition of property for a congregate emergency shelter, improvements to publicly or nonprofit owned buildings, and the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, or installation of public facilities.
These public services projects will directly assist individuals impacted by the Coronavirus by providing aid to include rental assistance, an outside shelter for domestic violence victims for social distancing, medical training, and meal delivery for the elderly.
The eligibility requirements to apply for rental assistance, which individuals can apply for by clicking here, are that an individual must: (1) be a current resident of Polk County; (2) have suffered a loss or reduction of income, loss of employment, or health issue due to COVID-19; (3) be currently delinquent on a rent or mortgage payment; and (4) have a gross household income that is below 80% of the area median income based on household size.
Additionally, all applicants must provide the following documents to apply for assistance: (1) the Florida driver licenses for both the applicant and co-applicant; (2) some proof of loss due to COVID-19; (3) a current lease or mortgage statement in applicant’s/co-applicant’s name; (4) a current utility bill; (5) a current bank statement; (6) the most recent paystub or unemployment letter; and (5) a W-9 form from the landlord, property manager, or mortgage company.
Online applications for rental assistance opened on December 29, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. and all applications must be in by 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2020.