Volusia County Council Allocates $5 Million More in COVID-19 Rent and Mortgage Assistance.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

During the regularly scheduled county council meeting, Volusia County council members made a unanimous vote to allocate $5Million more in COVID-19 Rent and Mortgage assistance.

The council tapped the additional funds into the county’s COVID-19 emergency rent and assistance program on Tuesday, bringing the total amount of money that Volusia County has earmarked for the program to $22.5 million. 

The money for the programs is coming from coronavirus relief funds distributed to the county as part of the federal CARES Act.

Approximately $11 million in rent and mortgage assistance has been given out to date, but another 1,271 applications are under review while the county receives more than 60 new applications a day.

According to a release, the county’s COVID-19 rent and mortgage assistance program provides a maximum of $1,500 for up to three months, with the money paid directly to the landlord or mortgage holder.

The program aims to help residents who’ve either suffered a job loss or a reduction in pay or work hours due to COVID-19. 

Criteria that must be met includes: 

• The rent or mortgage must have been current as of March 13, 2020.
• The dwelling unit must be located in Volusia County and be the applicant’s primary residence
• Applicants must meet income eligibility criteria to qualify and certify a loss or reduction in income due to the pandemic.

Applications are being processed on a first-come, first-served basis and can be obtained and submitted online by clicking on www.volusia.org/services/community-services/community-assistance/. Paper applications can be obtained by calling Volusia County Community Assistance at 386-736-5955.