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Osceola County Commission
Submitted by Osceola County:
The following is an update regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on Osceola County as of Wednesday.
Osceola County leadership has been working to ensure assistance is provided to our residents during this difficult time as we deal with the impact of the Coronavirus.
Osceola County wants to assist food pantries in their efforts to support those in need and will be providing funds to help them continue their service to our residents.
•By Friday, the county website will be updated with information on this initiative.
For homeowners, there will be assistance available to help with foreclosure prevention.
•For rental assistance and eviction prevention, we have assisted approximately 200 families with financial support since October 2019.
•For families earning less than 80 percent of the area median income, emergency rental and mortgage assistance is available to assist for up to two months. Additional funds have become available to provide assistance to an additional 150 to 200 families.
On Monday, the county will begin accepting applications for families who have lost their jobs or had an impact to their income due to COVID-19. It will accept applications on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon by visiting Housing.Osceola.org. You will see the rental assistance option there.
•In order to determine if applicants qualify, they will need to provide proof of job loss, current lease, social security card, birth certificate and some other documentation that will be listed on the website. Applicants will be addressed on a first-come, first-ready basis.
With the recent CARES Act, federal relief payments will be arriving for individuals, with the amounts determined by your income and family size. The U.S. Treasury has said they expect most people to get their payment in mid-April.
Additionally, the state of Florida has waived some of the criteria to allow increased access to important programs to help your household during this time.
· Please remember to apply for unemployment benefits through the Department of Economic Opportunity. http://floridajobs.org/ Please be patient with the process as there are many applicants seeking benefits at this time.
· Even those who may not quality for unemployment benefits may qualify for food assistance. If you are in need, consider applying for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) for support to purchase groceries.
Go to https://myflfamilies.com/covid19/access.shtml
• Acceptance for this program is based on job loss or change in income for your family, and the process has been expedited at this time. If you are a new applicant, you can expect to get your benefits card within three to seven days.
•Existing recipients who do not already receive the maximum benefit can expect the additional amount within 24 hours.
• Many people receiving benefits will see an increase in funds as early as tomorrow, but please know that if you are already receiving the maximum benefit, you may not see an increase.
The county is anticipating receiving additional funding from the CARES Act that will allow for more families to be helped. The County will share those details when the information becomes available.
Government operations
· Curfew and Stay At Home orders remain in place for Osceola County.
· Gov. DeSantis executive orders. Our executive policy group is reviewing and will make any appropriate updates to our local orders during our next meeting on Friday.
· Wednesday was National Census Day. Households should have received this information by mail. Take the time to respond to the questionnaire, which can be done by phone or online. The Census determines the amount of federal funds our community receives for programs like the rental assistance other housing, medical facilities and care, education, roads, and pandemics like we are facing today with COVID19. Find more information at MakeOsceolaCount.com.
· Orange County Convention Center site has changed eligibility for testing.
For video, go to vimeo.com/403131902)
