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Osceola County administration building
Osceola County has received an additional $3 million in SHIP Coronavirus Relief Funds to assist clients that have been helped previously – or are eligible for support, keeping them housed and out of homelessness, officials said.
It is the second time the county has received an additional SHIP allocation and is due to a “job well done,” according to a county press release.
“The Osceola Board of County Commissioners has been in front of this crisis since April, and we have worked tirelessly to ensure that County departments were diligent with efforts to get these badly needed federal dollars to our residents,” said Osceola Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer. “Less than a dozen jurisdictions were tapped for this latest distribution, so that is a testament to the efficiency of our Human Services team in making sure this money is used swiftly and judiciously.”
Osceola County’s application portal remains open at housing.osceola.org.
While Osceola already used $3.2 million in SHIP funds it received in August and October, officials don’t anticipate a shortfall of available funds for housing and utility assistance. Those who have already been approved for funding do not need to apply again as the county will automatically contact them to offer more assistance.
The Dec. 3 deadline remains in place for Osceola to disperse all Federal funds that are part of the CARES Act.
Gov. Ron DeSantis originally authorized $250 million in CARES Act funding for rental and mortgage assistance for Florida families that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this amount, $120 million was used to provide rent and mortgage assistance through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program. These funds are distributed by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and administered by local governments that meet the SHIP Program eligibility requirements.
