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Florida Has Distributed Only 2% Of Funds To Help Renters

WUSF | By Associated Press
Published August 2, 2021 at 1:41 PM EDT
People from a coalition of housing justice groups hold signs protesting evictions during a news conference outside the Statehouse, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Boston.
Michael Dwyer/AP
/
AP
People from a coalition of housing justice groups hold signs protesting evictions during a news conference outside the Statehouse, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Boston.

The state of Florida has distributed only 2% of the $870 million in federal funds it has received so far to keep renters in their homes during the pandemic by paying their landlords.

That's even though a nationwide eviction moratorium is ending on Sunday.

Housing advocates fear the end of the CDC moratorium could result in hundreds of thousands of Florida renters being evicted in the coming weeks.

They worry it will force some to become homeless just as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Florida has distributed only $18.3 million to about 4,300 applicants.

By way of comparison, Texas has distributed more than $610 million — about 47 percent of the $1.3 billion in federal funds it got in the first round of distribution.

Officials are encouraging people to apply for the statewide rental assistance program at OurFlorida.com.

Copyright 2021 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7.

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