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June 4, 2009
Pat Kuehn, APR
Community Information Specialist

Disaster funds available through Volusia County, Daytona Beach and Port Orange

Flood victims in Volusia County can apply for state funding assistance through Volusia County and the cities of Daytona Beach and Port Orange.

Volusia County

Flood victims living outside Daytona Beach city limits may apply for disaster assistance through Volusia County’s Community Assistance Division, which has received $1 million in state funds to assist families affected by the May flooding.

The county’s “May Floods - Disaster Relief and Repair Program” is designed to provide grants to county residents who experienced damage to their homes from the May rainfall and floods. Assistance includes:

• Interim repairs up to $10,000
• Well repair up to $10,000
• Homeowners insurance deductibles up to $3,500
• Rental assistance up to $2,500
• Other relief to assist with eligible housing on a case-by-case basis

Assistance for replacement of mobile and manufactured homes built before 1994 will be in the form of a zero-percent interest, deferred-payment loan.

Persons whose household income does not exceed 120 percent of the median income may apply for assistance. For instance, a family of four cannot make more than $66,240, and a family of two cannot make more than $53,040. Funds will be distributed on a first-ready, first-served basis with priority given to elderly, disabled and very-low-income households.

Other requirements include:

• The applicant must own the home or be a named tenant on the lease.
• The damaged property must be the applicant’s primary residence and be valued at $225,000 or less.
• Mobile and manufactured homes must have a Florida Department of Community Affairs sticker to be eligible for interim repairs.
• Assistance for replacement of mobile and manufactured homes built before 1994 will be provided only for homes that are on a lot owned by the applicant or on a leased lot in a stable mobile home park.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds and property insurance coverage must be used to leverage other federal and state funds. Applicants must provide documentation of property insurance coverage and disaster assistance that has been applied for, has been provided, or will be provided by FEMA and other federal and state agencies.

Applications are available at www.volusia.org/community_assistance/Mayfloodsapplication.htm and these locations:

• Holly Hill Public Library, 1066 Ridgewood Ave., Holly Hill
• Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach
• Port Orange Regional Library, 1005 City Center Circle, Port Orange
• Volusia County Human Services Office, 250 N. Beach St., Room 100, Daytona Beach

Applications must be mailed or delivered by Oct. 30 to: Volusia County Community Assistance Division, 110 W. Rich Ave., DeLand, FL 32720; or Volusia County Human Services Office, 250 N. Beach St., Room 100, Daytona Beach, FL 32114.

For more information, please call (386) 736-5955 in west Volusia County; (386) 254-4648, ext. 5955, in east Volusia County; or (386) 423-3375, ext. 5955, in southeast Volusia County.

City of Daytona Beach

The City of Daytona Beach is accepting applications from eligible homeowners and renters occupying eligible housing for disaster assistance to pay for certain costs and damages caused by the recent flooding. State Housing Incentives Partnership (SHIP) program funds in the amount of $1,030,000 are available to assist Daytona Beach residents based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) approved income limits. Applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-ready basis.

Assistance is available for the following:

• The Disaster Mitigation Program provides assistance in the form of a grant for emergency supplies to avoid further damage. The available subsidy is up to $2,500 in SHIP funds. Eligible items include emergency supplies, tarps, interim repairs, tree and debris removal, payment of insurance deductibles where client is incapable of paying, rental assistance, and security and utility deposits for recipients displaced from homes or rental units.
• The Minor Repair Program provides assistance for minor repair of homes. Eligible repairs include, but are not limited to, roofing, electrical, plumbing, structural, and heating. The available subsidy is up to $10,000 in Community Development Block Grant loan funds, or up to $15,000 in SHIP loan funds. A one-year forgivable lien on the property is required for loan.
• The Rental Rehabilitation Program provides assistance for residential rental property owners in the form of a loan up to $40,000 per parcel in SHIP or HOME funds to make eligible (code compliant and general property improvements) repairs to rental housing units being used or to be used as affordable housing for households at 80 percent or below the area median income. This strategy requires a $1,000 standard owner contribution or $500 in case of a declared disaster toward the eligible repairs and a 15-year period of affordability/repayment period secured by a lien on property.

The Community Development Division-Housing Office is at 308 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Daytona Beach. For Rental Rehabilitation Program information, please contact Avis Wilkinson at (386) 671-5801. For Disaster Mitigation and Minor Repair Program information, contact Mary Williams at (386) 671-5807.

City of Port Orange

Under the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program, the City of Port Orange has assistance for homeowners who meet eligible income levels. The assistance could be reimbursement for the purchase of tarps, temporary housing, payment of insurance deductible, and construction assistance. For more information, please contact the city’s SHIP coordinator at (386) 506-5642.

Port Orange residents who live in mobile and manufactured homes may apply for assistance through Volusia County's Community Assistance Division.

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