Many people across the country are facing eviction right now and a higher percentage of Floridians are on the brink of eviction than in any other state.
Right now, Cares Act funding is the only thing keeping some people in their homes and time is running out to apply.
There are only a handful of days left to apply for most rental assistance. The money has to be handed out by the end of the year. That’s when up to 1.5 million Floridians are expected to be facing eviction.
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One Central Florida resident, Eric Thurston, says he has kept his head above water for more than five months, but after being furloughed, called back and furloughed again, Thurston needs help.
“And really, at the end of the day, I almost feel like I’m getting emotional. I just want to go back to work,” Thurston said.
That doesn’t seem likely right now, so Thurston came to Kingdom Church in Pine Hills to sort out his application for Orange County’s eviction diversion program.
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“We were hearing some concerns from the general public,” said affordable housing board member Janae Moore. Moore and Thurston both said the application can be a bit tough to navigate.
The latest estimates show up to 1.1 million Floridians are currently at risk of eviction, and up to 390,000 more will be when the CDC moratorium ends on December 31.
Moore said, “It is absolutely devastating. It is hard to think that during a pandemic, you would even consider evicting or removing a family.”
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Moore also said she knows landlords have bills to pay, too.
“It is a bit of a process. But you know, I’d encourage the landlords to participate as well because folks out there they definitely need to help,” Thurston said.
Offering this assistance isn’t just about secure housing and protecting people’s credit scores. Researchers say people who lose their homes are more likely to crowd in with others, which helps further spread the virus.
Cox Media Group
