Newly Received Coronovirus Relief Funds to Help Melbourne Residents Affected by Pandemic
Post Date: 10/14/2020 11:33 AM
The City of Melbourne has received additional $162,742 in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) from the State of Florida that it will use to expand programs designed to help residents experiencing economic hardship or homelessness in our community due to the pandemic.
Last night the Melbourne City Council approved a plan to put $122,742 of the new funding toward two City programs that help residents keep their homes and to allocate the remaining $40,000 to a program that provides emergency shelter for homeless residents and helps them find and maintain permanent housing.
Rental, Mortgage and Utility Assistance
The Rental, Mortgage and Utility Assistance Program will receive an additional $70,000 bringing the total funding to $182,757. The program provides up to $2,500 per month to help with rent, mortgage or utility payments. It is open to City of Melbourne residents with a household income at the time of application that does not exceed 120% of the area median income, adjusted for family size. Additionally, a household must have experienced a verifiable loss of income due to the impacts of COVID-19, such as a layoff, furlough or reduction of hours. As of October 9, the program has assisted 27 households for a total of $89,994 in funding with many residents qualifying for repeat assistance. Interested residents should complete a pre-screening checklist online to verify all required information before they start the application process.
Funding for Emergency Home Repairs
The City’s Emergency Repair Program will receive $60,000 to help low to moderate income households with funds for emergency home repairs that they cannot afford on their own. Repairs must have become necessary since March 1, 2020, be critical to maintaining a safe living environment, and the household must have an identified and verified COVID-19 hardship. Interested residents should call the Housing and Urban Improvement Office: 321-608-7530.
Street to Home Bridge Housing
Established with CRF funding in September 2020, the Street to Home Bridge Housing Program is the first emergency temporary sheltering program of its kind in Brevard County. Partners Steadytown, Daily Bread and the Brevard Homeless Coalition are working together to administer the program, which has already provided immediate temporary housing for 28 people/24 households in hotels and motels in Melbourne. A case manager is working with program participants to help them secure permanent housing. As of the end of September four people/three households are now in permanent housing. The Bridge Housing program will receive $40,000, which will enable Daily Bread to hire an additional case manager to increase the program from 30 to 45 homeless households served and assist with additional housing.
A portion of the CRF funds received will go to fund administrative costs of these programs. All funds must be spent by the end of 2020. For more information, including budget details, please see the agenda memo presented to City Council on October 13, 2020.