FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A total of $4.5 million in rental assistance is now available for residents of St. Lucie County.
Whether you live in Port St. Lucie or Fort Pierce or unincorporated St. Lucie County will determine how to apply.
To qualify residents must not earn more than 80% of the area median income for the number of people in the household.
Residents must also show proof they were financially impacted by the pandemic.
Funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2.0 can be used towards past due utility payments if they are not paid by the landlord.
When applying, renters will be required to provide documentation of billing statements.
The ERA program does not allow for residents to apply for mortgage assistance.
Renters can apply for up to 15 months of past due rent payments and up to 3 future rent payments.
However, if renters received any assistance from the first round in 2020, they are only allowed a maximum of 18 months of assistance overall.
"We had a soft launch about a month ago where we had the application process up on our website," said Erick Gill, Communications Director, St. Lucie County. "We closed it after two weeks because we were overwhelmed with the amount of applications we received."
Gill said only $800k of the county's $3 million has been awarded or is pending.
The City of Port St. Lucie's program has a total of $1.5 million in assistance available.
Residents who live within the city limits of Port St. Lucie can apply here.
Fort Pierce and unincorporated St. Lucie County residents can apply here.