Today Is Tornado Damage Assistance Application Deadline

December 19, 2016

The deadline assistance application deadline is here for those impacted by the February tornadoes in Century or Ferry Pass.

The deadline to apply for funding commitments for tornado assistance from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP) in Escambia County is today December 19. The deadline was December 31, but it was moved to December 19 in order to comply with state requirements.

Many Century and Ferry Pass homes were severely damaged or totally destroyed in the tornadoes. To provide relief to tornado survivors, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners entered into an agreement with Northwest Florida Community Housing Development Corporation Inc. to provide up to $50,000 in SHIP disaster funding per property to help fund replacement housing for eligible homeowners.

NFCHDC has recently broken ground on the first of several replacement homes for low income survivors of the Feb. 15 tornado that hit Century. So far nine clients from that storm have been approved by the county under the SHIP program to work with NFCHDC. Three of the SHIP sites have been cleared and are ready for construction.

Additionally, NFCHDC has partnered with the Escambia County Housing Finance Authority to provide replacement housing for tornado survivors who could not qualify under the SHIP program. Two clients have been approved for housing to date.

This project is a significant collaboration between Escambia County, the town of Century, Legal Services of North Florida, the Escambia County Housing Finance Authority, the Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies, NFCHDC, World Renew, United Way, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity and many other volunteer organizations. These agencies have collectively provided financing, facilitated applicant intake, served as the case managers, worked on legal issues to help owners gain a clear title and now are providing construction oversight and labor.

To apply for SHIP funding you must:

  • Be the owner occupant of the property
  • Meet income eligibility guidelines
  • Have property that was impacted by the February 2016 tornadoes

For more information or to apply for the program, please contact the Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-3011.

NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Today Is Tornado Damage Assistance Application Deadline”

  1. ME on December 19th, 2016 7:41 am

    I think its a shame that we are putting income limits on the help provided. The tornado in February was a disaster to many families high middle and low income. It didn’t discriminate, so why are we discriminating when it comes time to rebuild and repair. My family was directly affected by the tornado and yes we lost our home…We were denied help from the programs that came thru based on our income…I have 3 children who’s lives have been deeply impacted by this but we can’t get help because we don’t fit into the bracket as NEEDY…If a family of 5 with 3 minor children being homeless is not NEEDY then please explain to me what is…All I’m saying is everyone needs help sometimes REGARDLESS of their income…I’m happy for the families that are getting help but let us not forget about the other families such as my own that need help as well that we seem to just write off because they don’t fit what society deems as NEEDY…We all struggle regardless of the income bracket we’re in and we all need help from time to time…I’m not trying to upset anyone I’m just trying to get a point across…thank you and God Bless Century

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive