Volusia County Emergency Rental Assistance to reopen on January 12.

Written by Anthony Bicy

Belden Communications News

Volusia County’s Emergency Rental Assistance program has leftover funds from a previous federal grant to assist those households affected by the ongoing pandemic.

Eligible households will receive up to nine months of rental and utility arrears and three months of forwarding assistance. However, the program’s funds are finite. The county will close submissions once they have received five hundred applications.

Community Assistance expects the surveys to fill out quickly, so staff encourages applicants to gather the required documents in advance. Those who are currently receiving Emergency Rental Assistance or previously applied do not need to reapply. 

Households may apply beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, January 12, by visiting www.volusia.org/era. Applicants can find a list of required documents and income limits on the website.

It will take several weeks to process the applications, and Community Assistance may have leftover funds for more applications in the future. If that time comes, the county will notify everyone in advance.

Navigators will be available on-site to help applicants at the following locations:

- Daytona Beach, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, and Port Orange regional libraries

- John H. Dickerson Heritage, Hope Place, DeBary, and Edgewater public libraries

- Emergency Rental Assistance office, on W. Rich Avenue in DeLand

Also, property owners may apply for their tenants by emailing era@volusia.org with tenant contact information, and a staff member will reach out to help with the application.

Additionally, staff will prioritize applications in this order:

• Applicants unemployed for the 90 days before the application date and whose income is at or below 50 percent of the area median income
• Applicants whose income is at or below 50 percent of the area median income
• Applicants who are unemployed for the 90 days before the application date and whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income
• Applicants whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income

Call Volusia County’s Community Assistance Division at (386)943-7095 for more information.