City of Orlando partners with KPMG on Emergency Rental Assistance program

The City of Orlando was just awarded $6.8 million in COVID-19 Relief Funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide Emergency Rental Assistance for households that were financially impacted by the pandemic.

City Council approved an agreement with KPMG to oversee the program to provide financial support to Orlando residents who have fallen behind on rent payments at the most recent City Council meeting. The City had leaned on Orange County to fill a gap in funding last December while they awaited the new funds, and Orange County will stop accepting city resident applications after Wednesday, January 19, at midnight.

City residents will be able to apply for relief funds again starting February 1, 2022. To be eligible they must:

• Include one or more individuals within the household who has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;   
• Include one or more individuals within the household who demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;  
• Have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income ($61,050 for a family of four), with priority given to households at or below 50% of the area median income ($38,150 for a family of four) or that have a household member who has been unemployed for 90 days; and   
• Submit proof of occupancy in the rental residence – this can include a copy of a lease, rental agreement, rent receipts, evidence of regular rental payments, or any other documents that show proof of occupancy.   
• Rental assistance is provided for past-due rent and up to three months of prospective rent payments. The total amount of assistance, including any assistance received under the first phase of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, may not exceed 18 months.   
• Rental assistance payments will be made directly to the landlord.   
• The applicant’s monthly rental rate may be no more than $4,000 per month.    
• Assistance with utility payments will not be provided unless the utilities are billed as part of the lease.  
• Housing Stability Services will be available to prevent evictions, or to assist tenants in finding new housing and when necessary, pay fees, deposits, and rent for the new unit. 

Click HERE for more information.