HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES RECEIVE RENTAL ASSISTANCE,
MORE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
After processing hundreds of applications and contacting thousands of individuals on the waitlist, the City of Tampa is excited to enter a new phase of the Rental & Move-In Assistance Program and begin accepting new candidates.
Starting Wednesday, October 5, individuals interested in applying for rental, move-in, or security deposit assistance can submit their application online to the Housing & Community Development division. The portal will be open every Wednesday and Thursday, until further notice.
Under the direction of Mayor Jane Castor, the Rental & Move-In Assistance Program was launched in March 2022. Initially, $1 million from the City's general fund was allocated to start the program. Another $4 million was issued to help more people. For 2023, the administration has approved an additional $1 million for the program, bringing the total amount of funds to $6 million.
Shortly after its launch, the program received approximately 500 completed applications, and more than 3,500 individuals signed up for the waitlist. In order to go through this tremendous amount of paperwork, the City closed the program, as well as the waitlist, to allow staff to go through each application thoroughly and efficiently. Of the 500 completed applications, more than 200 were approved.
"We hear the call for help and are working as quickly as possible to get qualified, local renters the help they desperately need to pay their rent bill," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Most of our housing programs are funded with state and federal dollars, but in times like these, we are carefully crunching the numbers and applying a generous portion of the City's general funds to expand our potential and help more people. We have made remarkable progress and are eager to keep moving forward."
Each approved household can receive assistance for up to a year and in most cases the average award amount ranges around $10,000. Approximately $1 million from the program's fund is reserved for the first 200 approvals.
Mayor Castor announces the reopening of the Rental & Move-In Assistance Program. She is joined by members of the City of Tampa's Housing & Community Development team and council members Orlando Gudes and Lynn Hurtak.