$99 Million In Rental Assistance For Floridians Returned

CBS Miami

July 4, 2021

About $99 million in unspent rental assistance meant to help Floridians living in affordable housing was returned to the state after the agency overseeing the program struggled to disburse the money.

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation, which was established by the Florida Legislature to help develop and support affordable housing, received $120 million in federal funding for rental assistance last year as part of the CARES Act. Florida used the money to set up a Coronavirus Relief Fund, intended to help tenants catch up on rent who live at the properties that FHFC finances and lost jobs or income due to the pandemic.

Taylore Maxey, press secretary for the nonprofit, said it handed out about $13.2 million to help tenants at 373 multifamily developments across the state. In total, FHFC said it received 786 applications for assistance but only 521 were approved. And about $99 million was returned to the Department of Economic Opportunity to be repurposed for other pandemic-response programs.

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