If you’re still recovering from Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, new financial assistance could become available to you soon.
Tampa City Council members are considering a plan to dedicate $3 million in SHIP money, a state-sponsored affordable housing fund, toward hurricane relief for residents.
If the plan is approved, the housing funds would be used “to support insurance deductibles, mortgage assistance (foreclosure prevention), and other applicable recovery activities,” according to a December memo to city council members.
The SHIP program provides state housing dollars from the Sadowski Fund to local governments to spend on a variety of community housing needs, including emergency repairs and mortgage assistance, according to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation website.
Abbye Feeley, the city’s interim administrator of development and economic opportunity, presented the plan to council members last week.
She said the funds would target households earning up to 140% of the area’s median income, or $93,660 annually for a single person living in Tampa, according to 2024 income guidelines.
Council member Luis Viera, who has been spearheading the measure, said his intention is that the financial support could especially help North Tampa residents who suffered surprise flood damages during Hurricane Milton.
In neighborhoods like the University Area and Forest Hills, as well as surrounding communities like Plant City and Town ‘n’ Country, people were hit hard by floodwaters despite not being in flood zones.
READ MORE: Tampa wants to look at what went wrong with the stormwater system during the hurricanes
“For me, this is step one of what we have to do to help people stay in their homes and to preserve affordable and workforce housing in the city of Tampa,” Viera said during Thursday's meeting.
While FEMA funds have been essential to recovery, Viera said it's time for the city to ensure people can afford to stay in their homes while they rebuild.
Also announced at Thursday’s meeting was new federal funds for hurricane relief that will be distributed soon.
Hillsborough County will receive $700 million in Community Development Block-Grant Disaster Recovery Funds (CDBG-DR) to aid local hurricane recovery efforts. In Sarasota County, officials are already discussing how to distribute the $210 million in federal relief they're awarded.
The allocation is part of a $12 billion package for 24 states and territories, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Initial conversations are underway between city and county leaders about partnering to distribute the funds appropriately, Feeley, Tampa’s economic administrator, said.
Residents can expect more guidance on how to apply for the disaster aid in the coming weeks. Both funding measures will be discussed at the next regular council meeting on Jan. 23.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
