Palm Beach County Offers Rent & Utilities Assistance Program

Press release from the City of Boca Raton:

Update: June 5, 2020 (6:30pm)

The Palm Beach County Community Services Department (CSD) announced the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Coronavirus Relief Fund Rent and Utilities Assistance Program will be offered to residents effective June 5.

The CARES Act Rent and Utilities Assistance Program provides one-time rental and/or utility assistance to eligible Palm Beach County residents who have experienced loss of income, reduction in hours, or unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are for applicants who reside in apartments, houses, townhouses, or mobile homes.

To be eligible for this assistance program applicants must:

• be a resident of Palm Beach County;
• provide documentation to prove loss of income, reduction in hours, or unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• provide documentation to show they have applied or are receiving state or federal unemployment benefits;
• meet gross Area Median Income (AMI) limit not exceeding 140% AMI for the household;
• have a lease and other utilities in their name or a household member’s name;
• not have received any other financial assistance for rent and/or utilities for the period payment is requested;
• have less than $5,000 in liquid assets in checking, savings, and cash card balances

Assistance will be provided only for past due rents and/or utilities. The due dates must be after March 1, 2020 and before December 30, 2020.

Applications must be submitted through the CSD’s online portal. Apply at www.pbcgov.com/OSCARSS.

Other PBC Programs include:

• CARES Restart Business Grants Program
• Palm Beach County Foreclosure Prevention (Mortgage Assistance) Program (PDF) or call 561-233-3600

Update: May 20, 2020

The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved the CARES Restart Business Grants Program on May 15, 2020 to accelerate the reopening of businesses hardest hit by COVID-19.

The $60 million Business Restart Program uses a portion of the county’s $261 million allocation from the Federal CARES Act approved by Congress. The BCC has dedicated $50 million toward businesses with 25 or fewer employees and $10 million towards businesses with greater than 25 employees.

The program guidelines, including eligibility criteria, are currently posted on the County’s website. The BCC gave approval for individual grants up to $25,000 to help Palm Beach County businesses forced to close or limit operations and are now planning to “restart” based on the county’s phased opening process.

Required documents will include:

• A fully executed application from the county’s online portal
• Certifications
• Affirmations and acknowledgements
• Tax returns
• Payroll reports
• An active Palm Beach County Business Tax Receipt
• An active registration on SunBiz

*These documents will be required to be uploaded into the system by the applicant.

Interested businesses are encouraged to prepare for the Restart Program Application as they will be processed on a first come, first eligible basis. The online application is expected to launch on Friday, May 22, 2020 at 8:00 am.

The criteria for the grant and application can be found on Palm Beach County’s website.

This press release was produced by the City of Boca Raton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.