Total of $55 million set aside for that facet of response to Hurricane Ian damage
Sarasota County staff has issued its first round of award notices for homeowner rehabilitation, reconstruction and reimbursement initiatives through the Resilient SRQ Hurricane Ian Housing Recovery Program, the county announced on Feb. 28.
This marks “a key milestone in helping residents rebuild and recover after Hurricane Ian’s impact in September 2022,” a county news release said.
The program is funded by a $201.5-million Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery (CDBG-DR), which the county received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2023, the release explained.
The County Commission agreed to allocate $55 million to the Housing Recovery Program, “with a focus on low- to moderate-income households,” the release pointed out.
“Providing this long-awaited assistance to our homeowners has always been a top priority for our county and contractor team,” said Steve Hyatt, Resilient SRQ Division manager, the release continued. “These first award notices are a significant step in helping homeowners rebuild their lives.”
“The program accepted interest surveys from June 12 to Aug. 9, 2024,” before “inviting eligible homeowners to submit full applications beginning June 26, 2024,” the release added. Sarasota County staff “anticipates notifying several hundred more applicants soon,” the release said.
Because of requirements that HUD implemented for the grant awards, the release explained, the funding process has involved multiple steps, including the verification of eligibility, a check on the duplication of benefits, site inspections, environmental and historic compliance clearances, cost estimates and final awards calculations before repairs, reconstruction or reimbursements are made. More details may be found in the program’s application process, what-to-expect for reimbursement and what-to-expect for repair and reconstruction flyers, the release said.
Eligible homeowners may receive reimbursements directly via check deposits “for eligible out-of-pocket repair costs that were not duplicated by another source,” the release pointed out.
County staff next will oversee the repair and reconstruction work with its approved contractor, DSW Homes, and the company’s subcontractors, the release continued. That process may include full rebuilding of homes, as well as mobile-home replacements, the release added.
To qualify for assistance in that aspect of the Resilient SRQ Program, the release explained, homeowners must meet the following criteria:
- A person must own the damaged home.
- The damaged home must have been used as the person’s primary residence before Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022.
- A homeowner must provide proof of Hurricane Ian-related damage.
- A person must have “a mortgage in good standing or on an approved payment plan.”
- A homeowner must have a household income at or below 80% of Sarasota County’s area median income (AMI), which HUD sets annually.
For more details on the Resilient SRQ Housing Recovery Program, including eligibility guidelines and application resources, visit ResilientSRQ.net/housing-recovery.