Escambia Rent And Mortgage Assistance Program Overwhelmed; Application Period Closing Friday

September 4, 2020

After just four days, Escambia County will stop taking applications for a local CARES Act rent, mortgage and utility assistance program — a week earlier than first announced. The program made $813,451 available on Tuesday to assist eligible applicants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with up to $3,000 for each family.  In the first day, over 600 applications were received, and by Thursday that number was around 900. A couple of hundred or so won’t be eligible because they indicated that they had not lost income due to the pandemic. Applications will now close at 5 p.m. Friday to allow staff to review applications and determine if the funds are gone. All applicants will be notified by county staff regarding their eligibility. Applications are available online at myescambia.com/CARES. A larger assistance program is coming from the county, but applications details have not yet been worked out. Eligible applicants for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program must have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible expenses must occur between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2020. Maximum assistance will be $3,000 per household and will be paid directly to the landlord, mortgage or utility company. General eligibility requirements for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program:

  • Escambia County resident (including City of Pensacola and Town of Century)
  • Income adversely impacted by COVID-19 (documentation required)
  • Total household income cannot exceed 120% Area Median Income
  • This program is for past due rent, mortgage and utilities ONLY. Utility assistance can only be provided in conjunction with mortgage or rent assistance.

Income requirements for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program are as follows: Applications are available online at myescambia.com/CARES. Paper applications are available for pickup at the following locations for citizens who do not have online access:

  • Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division, 221 Palafox Place, Suite 200 ( 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
  • Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
  • Century City Hall, 7995 N Century Blvd. (normal business hours)
  • EREC/Walnut Hill Post Office, 4950 Highway 99A, Walnut Hill (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
  • All West Florida Public Libraries

Completed paper applications with attachments should be emailed to EscambiaCaresRentandMortgage@myescambia.com, faxed to 850-595-0342, or dropped off at the Brownsville Community Center or Neighborhood Enterprise Division by 5 p.m. on Friday. Please make sure all attachments are clear and legible. Applicants needing assistance with completing applications should call 850-595-1642 for further guidance.

Comments

7 Responses to “Escambia Rent And Mortgage Assistance Program Overwhelmed; Application Period Closing Friday”

  1. Tyler Arnette on November 18th, 2020 1:13 am

    What did they expect? To be underwhelmed?

  2. Anya m. Thomas on September 6th, 2020 3:09 am

    so if I need help with my rent not utilities we cant help im a confused resident for escambia co.

  3. Tom on September 4th, 2020 4:32 pm

    This all sounds pretty grim, I wonder if unemployment could be worse than they think. I now know and see a lot of people that are losing everything (broke).

  4. Melissa Pino on September 4th, 2020 2:12 pm

    Meanwhile our governor is holding maskless meetings while questioning the need for social distancing, and one of his first responses on the last set of bills this session that were sent to him Friday?

    **Line item veto’ing about billion dollars to go into reserves to assist with coronavirus.**

    Good luck everybody. Because after this CARES money is done being spent by the end of the year, DeSantis has got nothin for the residents of Florida except the continued back of the hand.

  5. Gman on September 4th, 2020 9:33 am

    Very smart move paying it directly to the landlord, mortgage or utility company.

  6. Suzanne on September 4th, 2020 7:45 am

    So we can only get help our utility bill if we get help with our rent too? This was not stated in the initial article. Very frustrating.

  7. Captain O on September 4th, 2020 6:33 am

    Well, what did they really expect?!? Escambia Cointy has spent so much time appeasing those looking for a handout that the majorithinks they deserve something every time something comes available.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive