On Feb. 1, the city of Orlando will open up another round of its emergency rental assistance program.

What You Need To Know

  • On February 1st, another round of emergency rental assistance opens in Orlando

  • Applicants must have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income and demonstrate risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability

  • To learn more about the program and sign up for updates, click here.

They city has $6.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to give to households that have been financially impacted during the pandemic. City leaders say they intend to use this money to help residents get caught up on their rent.

There are several requirements for households to qualify for the program, such as having a household income at or below 80% of the area median income ($61,050 for a family of four) and demonstrating risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

City officials said they believe there is still a strong need for these kinds of programs in Orlando.

“In some ways, the economy has gotten better, certainly the unemployment has dropped as people have been able to get back to work, but on the other hand there are a number of people that are still unemployed or under employed," said Oren Henry, the Director Housing and Community Development Department for the City of Orlando. "And so we do expect to continue to have a pretty strong demand through 2022 for the assistance."

In order to apply, several documents are needed and city officials say it’s important to start gathering them now in order to get assistance as soon as possible.

“If you read the instructions and put all the information together that's requested and then you submit that, it goes very quickly,” said Henry. “But as soon as you leave out a piece or something's incomplete at all, then a reviewer has to review that and they have to send you a question and then you have to get the information and send it in.

"Then, another reviewer gets that and has to find your case and get it and put it in and, you know, you can just see, that takes our reviewers time and it takes your time going back and forth.”

Applicants must be able to provide proof of residency, such as a copy of a lease or rental agreement, and must also prove they meet meet other guidelines set by the city.

To learn more about the program and sign up for updates, click here.

Anyone who has questions about the program or the application process, can email COVIDassistance@orlando.gov.