During a special board meeting of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, the board unanimously approved Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES)funding to assist individuals and families with past due rental, mortgage, and utility assistance of up to $3,000 per household. Commissioners also approved an agreement with United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties to support the review of applications and distribution of funds, subject to County Attorney approval.
The application, once available, will be shared on www.reopenlake.com. To receive email notifications once the application is open visit, https://bit.ly/LCCaresForm .
Governor Ron DeSantis authorized $250 million in CARES Act funding for rental and mortgage assistance for Florida families that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this amount, $120 million will be used to provide rent and mortgage assistance through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program. These funds will be distributed by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) and administered by eligible local governments that meet the SHIP Program eligibility requirements. Lake County meets the SHIP Program eligibility requirements and was notified by FHFC that it will receive approximately $1.3 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) program.
To be eligible for funding, a household must self-certify that they were negatively impacted by COVID-19 through a loss of wages or a reduction of wages (unemployed or underemployed) and be at or below 120% of the area median income, based on the following limits:
| Family Size | Household Income Limit |
| 1 | $61,080 |
| 2 | $69,840 |
| 3 | $78,600 |
| 4 | $87,240 |
| 5 | $94,320 |
| 6 | $101,280 |
| 7 | $108,240 |
| 8 | $115,200 |
| 9 | $122,136 |
| 10 | $129,115 |
To sign up for emergency mobile notifications regarding COVID-19, text COVIDUPDATE to 888777 and follow Emergency Management at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyFLEmergencyManagement and www.twitter.com/lakeemergency. For the latest information, residents can call the Citizens Information Line at 352-253-999 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
