Florida Banking October 2021

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

OUR FLORIDA PROGRAM HELPS RENTERS AND LANDLORDS RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC

BY ANTHONY DIMARCO, FBA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

T he pandemic continues in America. Thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s economic conditions have vastly improved; however, some are still struggling from the economic damage wrought by Covid-19. To those who have not fully recovered, Florida has initiated the OUR Florida program, using federal funds to help renters and landlords. This information may be helpful to your customers as we continue to recover from the economic damages of the pandemic and cannot make ends meet, either through CARES Act funds or from nonprofit organizations. OUR Florida

housing instability, or living in unsafe or unhealthy conditions. To qualify the renter must: • Go to www.OURFlorida.com to fill out application, call 833-493-0594, or go to an OUR Florida location; • Gather and submit the required documents such as, driver’s license, lease agreements, paystubs, tax filings, unemployment benefits, past due rent notices; and, • Must disclose if they received assistance from any source to pay these bills.

Even if the renter has received CARES Act funds or other assistance, they may still be eligible for the program, for any rent or utility bills left unpaid or were not covered by CARES. Additionally, a resident in subsidized housing is eligible for the tenant-owned portion of rents, if the household will not be reimbursed from other sources. Since the application may be submitted by either the landlord or the tenant along with the required documents, you may wish to let any of

“ THE STATE HAS STARTED OUR FLORIDA, USING FEDERAL FUNDS, TO HELP FLORIDIANS WITH RENTAL OR UTILITIES ASSISTANCE TO REBUILD AND RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC. ”

The state has started OUR Florida, using federal funds, to help Floridians with rental or utilities assistance to rebuild and recover from the pandemic. Below is a short summary and eligibility for the program. Please go to www.OURFlorida. com for more details and FAQs that are of assistance. For Renters

The goal of the program is to provide qualified renters with relief from unpaid rent and utility bills. This will help Floridians stay in their rented homes while seeking economic self-sufficiency. Renters are eligible if they: • Rent a residential dwelling in Florida; • Earn a household income at or below 80% of the area’s median income (AMI); • Have qualified for unemployment or another program due to Covid; and, • Are at risk of losing their home, experiencing

your customers who have rental properties know about this program. If the landlord submits the application, the tenant must sign the application and the identity of both the tenant and the landlord must be disclosed. Remember the purpose of the program is to make up lost rental payments for the renter; this way both parties can be made more whole. Hopefully, this will help alleviate any need for rental properties to go into foreclosure.

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