WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (October 9, 2020) — West Palm Beach residents once again have the opportunity to apply for Palm Beach County’s CARES Act Rental and Utility Assistance program. The County, a partner of the City of West Palm Beach, has re-opened the program for those who were unable to submit their information during the original application period.
Eligibility requirements include having experienced a loss of income as a direct result of COVID-19 and being at/below 140% Area Median Income, among others. Maximum benefits are:
- Rent: up to $10,000 in arrears beginning in March 2020
- Electric, water and/or gas: up to $1,200 in arrears beginning in March 2020
Food assistance is also available through the County’s Community Services Department. Under the CARES Act, the County is issuing pre-paid debit cards to eligible households for food purchases. Only one card will be issued per household, and all expenditures must be made by December 30, 2020. Assistance is based on household size, with the maximum amounts as follows:
- 1-2 household members: $400
- 3-4 household members: $800
- 5+ household members: $1,000
To qualify for either of these programs, applicants must prove that they have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide supporting documents (i.e. recent pay stub, filed tax return, valid government ID, etc.)
To apply for rental and utility assistance, visit www.rentalassistancepbc.org. To apply for food assistance, visit https://www.rentalassistancepbc.org/. For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, visit www.pbcgov.com/csdcaresactfaq. A ‘How to Apply’ video tutorial is available at http://bit.ly/CaresActTutorial.
The application portal for food and rental/utility assistance will remain open until October 30, 2020. For more information, please contact Palm Beach County’s Community Services Department at (561) 355-4792. For more information about what resources are available to City of West Palm Beach residents, please visit www.wpb.org/hcd, or call (561) 822-1250 (TTY: 800-955-8771).
