By Selene Raj
The Tamarac City Commission has launched a new residential assistance program to help families who were impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 27, Commissioner Mike Gelin proposed moving $250,000 from the general fund reserves into this residential assistance program. He cited the lack of adequate relief provided by the SHIP program and the CARES act, as well as Florida having one of the worst unemployment systems in the country.
The commission was unanimous in support that something needed to be done, urgently, to provide further relief to residents.
“We needed to design one that took our city’s income and demographics into account,” Commissioner Gelin said.
Applicants must be residents of Tamarac and be able to verify and document an income hardship resulting from the pandemic. Households that do not exceed 120 percent of the area median income are eligible to apply.
Those who qualify can receive up to $5,000 to help with three months of assistance for a mortgage, rent, and utility payments. Eligible utility payments include light, water, and natural gas, and the utility bill must be under the name of the applicant or adult household member. member. A monthly budget template can be used to track and manage these expenses.
For mortgage assistance, the home must be the primary residence of the owner and homesteaded.
“Passing the assistance program made sense, as we know, there are people who have been severely impacted by the pandemic,” said Fishman.
Applications are open from June 29 at 10:00 a.m. until July 6 at 5:00 p.m. and can be submitted online or at city hall, 7525 NW 88 Avenue.
More information can be found online or by calling (954) 587-3549.
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