The Florida Housing Coalition is excited to announce the hiring of C.J. Reynolds as its Director of Resilience and Disaster Recovery, effective December 1st, 2022. Most recently, C.J. served as the Director of Resiliency and Engagement at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning for nearly four years and led the newly formed Regional Resilience Coalition which includes 32 local governments. “Resilience and Disaster Recovery is a substantial and critically important part of the work we do at the Florida Housing Coalition in both Blue Skies and post hurricanes. The Florida Housing Coalition has been working with C.J. Reynolds for several years on the Tampa Bay REACH project,” stated Florida Housing Coalition President and CEO Jaimie Ross. “Having C.J. at the helm of our climate justice, resilience, and recovery work will serve the public interest of Florida immeasurably. She is a master at making connections between multiple private sector partners with multiple public sector partners. She’s a human catalyst and that is exactly what we need as our current Resilience and Disaster Recovery Director, Gladys Cook, herself a human catalyst, prepares to retire at the end of December.” (Read more…)
Hurricane Ian Recovery Information and Resources
Visit FloridaDisaster.org/info for Hurricane Ian information from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Help for Survivors
Register with FEMA
Survivors Need to Register with FEMA in order to receive assistance. There are several ways to apply: 1) DisasterAssistance.gov, 2) download the FEMA App for mobile devices, 3) call toll-free 800-621-3362. The line is open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST. Help is available in most languages. To view an accessible video on how to apply visit Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube.
FEMA registration ends on Thursday, January 12, 2023. To appeal your FEMA decision, you have 60 days from the date of your determination letter. You can appeal and provide more information so FEMA can continue processing your application. Call the Helpline at 800-621-3362 or visit a Disaster Recovery Center to get help filing an appeal.
Register with Unite Florida
State of Florida agency partners have created the Unite Florida Hurricane Ian Recovery Portal where survivors in disaster-declared counties impacted by Hurricane Ian can apply for assistance with unmet needs such as transportation, household items and social services, or whose needs were not totally covered by FEMA. This portal serves as a place where survivors can apply to participate in Florida’s first-ever state-led sheltering and housing program to receive temporary housing solutions — such as travel trailers and recreational vehicles — and temporary or permanent repairs for households whose needs are not met through insurance or FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.
Blue Tarps
There are several sources of tarps. Contact the Blue Roof Program at 1-888-766-3258. Roofing and other temporary repairs assistance could also be provided by your local government. Try calling your local SHIP Office: Click here for contact information of SHIP offices to inquire about funding assistance for storm repairs to your home, rental assistance or temporary relocation.
Debris Cleanup and Muck and Gut
Call the Crisis Cleanup Hotline and register for help. 800-451-1954. You may also visit https://crisiscleanup.org/survivor to register.
Temporary Hotel Accommodations
Check with FEMA to see if you are eligible. Hotel assistance may be available to eligible survivors in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia Counties. Note that participating hotels are located in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
Temporary RV or Mobile Home Units
For an RV or mobile home unit, contact FEMA to determine your eligibility. Mobile housing units or RVs may be available in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto Counties, Sarasota and Hardee Counties.
Disaster Legal Services
Disaster Legal Services (DLS) provides free legal help to low-income disaster survivors. Call the hotline at 866-550-2929 any time and leave a message.
Small Business Administration (SBA)
To register for SBA loans (for both homeowners and businesses), go to the SBA website. Here, you can find information on case files and contact needs for SBA. Please note that if there is a declaration you will need to apply for an SBA loan before you apply for FEMA assistance. Phone Number: 1-800-659-2955 (TTY/TDD: 1-800-877-8339)
Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
Insurance
Office of Insurance Regulation. The office of Insurance Regulation can assist homeowners with their policy questions as well as to make any complaints about their insurance providers. The Division of Consumer Services can answer insurance questions at 877-693-5236, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
FloridaHousingSearch.org
FloridaHousingsearch.org is an affordable rental housing locator for the State of Florida. Affected families may search the locator for rental housing units that are available throughout the state. You may also contact the locator’s toll-free call center for assistance in conducting a search. The toll-free number is 1-877-428-8844.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Disaster Unemployment is available for those whose income was affected by Hurricane Ian. For more information visit Disaster Unemployment Assistance, visit FloridaJobs.org or call 800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)
D-SNAP provides food assistance for individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ian who are not receiving assistance through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Visit Response and Recovery – Hurricane Ian (myflfamilies.com) for more information.
Mortgage Assistance
Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans back the majority of U.S. mortgages – and each has some kind of program to help homeowners struggling to pay their monthly mortgage payment after a disaster. In all cases, a homeowner must initiate the process. Disaster relief options are offered to homeowners in declared major disaster areas. However, even homeowners outside those areas may have options if their home incurred a disaster-related loss that impacts their ability to make a mortgage payment. Foreclosure and other legal proceedings are also suspended while homeowners are on a forbearance plan. Click HERE to learn more.
KnowYourOptions.com is the Fannie Mae consumer website for housing resources, including details on disaster relief. Homeowners can visit www.knowyouroptions.com/relief to learn more and find out if they have a Fannie Mae-owned mortgage and access to the full benefits of our Disaster Response Network. Homeowners can call 877-833-1746 to access the Disaster Response Network or other available resources. The Disaster Response Network is operated by Clearpoint’s* Project Porchlight program.
Volunteer
Floridians who want to volunteer can visit Volunteer Florida’s webpage.
My Safe Florida Home
The My Safe Florida Home Program was enacted by the Florida Legislature in 2022 to help single family home owners protect their homes against wind damage. Florida owners of homes built prior to 2008 qualify for a free wind mitigation home inspection through the program, and qualified homeowners can also receive grant funds for wind mitigation treatments and repairs. For grant funds, most homeowners must provide a 2:1 match for grant awards of up to $10,000 (in other words, a 50% match, or up to $5,000), and low-income homeowners do not have to provide a match. Apply at the link!
Other Sources of Recovery Information.
- Dial 211 for local resources and referrals
- Unmet Needs Survey
The Florida Division of Emergency Management is collecting information to assist disaster survivors who have critical unmet needs due to Hurricane Ian. The purpose of this survey is to support ongoing efforts by the State of Florida to provide critical resources to those in need of assistance. By participating in this voluntary survey, disaster survivors can select and submit specific details to the State about their critical unmet needs. The survey also provides helpful information concerning how to request assistance from FEMA. You can access the survey at the link below:
The Florida Housing Coalition is committed to providing guidance, resources, and advocacy to Florida’s housing providers responding to and aiding in the recovery from disasters. Each week the Coalition facilitates a webinar to report information we have received as we communicate with national and state partners including the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and the Hurricane Policy Group and Recovery Task Force of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Click below to access recordings of the Florida Disaster Housing Task Force meetings as well as those of the Working Group. Recovery resources are listed on this page.
Quick Links:
Disaster Response
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The forms of assistance include:
- Rental payments for temporary housing.Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements.
- Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary, and functional.
- Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation, and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, municipality, and charitable aid programs.
- Unemployment payments for up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for state benefits, such as self-employed individuals.
- Low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance.Loans are available of up to $200,000 for primary residence, and of up to $40,000 for personal property, including renter losses. Loans are available up to $2 million for business property losses not fully compensated by insurance.
- Loans from SBA of up to $2 million for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most nonprofit organizations of all sizes that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster’s adverse economic impact.This loan in combination with a property loss loan cannot exceed $2 million.
- Loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency of up to $500,000 for farmers, ranchers, and aquaculture operators to cover production and property losses, excluding primary residence.
- Other relief programs, including: crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; and advisory assistance for legal, veterans’ benefits, and social security matters.
FEMA may provide Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) to applicants who are unable to return to their pre-disaster primary residence because their home is either uninhabitable or inaccessible due to a Presidentially-declared disaster. Click here for the FEMA TSA Fact Sheet.
Florida Bar Foundation Assisting Floridians
- securing FEMA and other benefits
- making life, medical and property insurance claims
- dealing with home repair contractors
- replacing wills and other important legal documents destroyed in the hurricane
- helping with consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures
- counseling on mortgage-foreclosure problems or landlord/tenant issues
For more information visit https://thefloridabarfoundation.org/storm-aid
Disaster Housing Volunteer Organizations
Volunteer Florida
Volunteer Florida is guided by a bipartisan board of Commissioners, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate.
Volunteer Florida administers national service programs like AmeriCorps, which offer Floridians the opportunity to engage in intensive service to their community while increasing capacity for nonprofits and other service organizations. Volunteer Florida’s grantees include schools, educational foundations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and other community organizations.
Volunteer Florida provides required fiscal and programmatic oversight of these grants so that we maximize funds and ensure grantees are accountable for results.
For more information, click here.
FL VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
Membership is open to any non-profit organization that has disaster preparation, response and/or recovery as part of its core mission in the state of Florida. FL VOAD also welcomes local COADs (Community Organizations Active in Disaster), VOADS and long-term recovery groups as associate members. Other organizations and governmental agencies with an interest in disaster work are welcomed as partners. All are encouraged to participate and help improve the collective, collaborative and coordinated work of FL VOAD.
For more information, click here.
Disaster Homeless Assistance
Disaster Response and Recovery for Homelessness
Download the HUD Disaster Recovery Homelessness Toolkit. This toolkit provides an overview of challenges that may occur during disaster-caused disruptions and the impact these challenges pose for individuals experiencing homelessness. It provides guidance for identifying and collaborating with partners to address disaster response and recovery needs, and it outlines strategies to prepare and minimize service disruption.
HUD’s Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH)
Homeless Veterans Assistance
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Resilience Planning and Mitigation
Mitigation Programs from Florida Division of Emergency Management
Enterprise Community Partners
For technical tools and resources, visit Enterprise Community Partners Solutions and Innovations for Disaster Recovery and Rebuilding.
Other Key Resources
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
From NLIHC- Disaster Recovery Initiatives
Florida Housing Finance Corporation- HHRP Allocation Chart
Department of Economic Opportunity CDBG-DR
FOR SHIP ADMINISTRATORS
Join our Weekly Disaster Recovery Webinars
Each Friday at 1:30 pm the Coalition hosts a one-hour webinar on hurricane recovery. We provide updates on resources that are under development to assist SHIP administrators and housing providers such as disaster assistance toolkits and resource guides. Each webinar features a panel discussion on a variety of topics concerning recovery, preparation, and mitigation. Each webinar is recorded and posted to our website along with the presentation and handouts. See our weekly Member Updates for up to date topics and current registration information.
Publications
This page provides links pertaining to affordable housing and related topics. Links to any external sites do not constitute an endorsement by the Florida Housing Coalition.
