COVID-19 grant application deadlines approaching

Posted On: November 18, 2020

With federal authorization expiring soon, the deadlines to apply to Volusia County for COVID-19 financial assistance are rapidly approaching. The county urges small businesses and individuals who believe they qualify for Volusia CARES grants to make application soon, as these programs are coming to an end in December. The deadlines to apply are Dec. 11 for small business and home-based business grants as well as grants for nonprofit organizations, while the deadline to apply for rent and mortgage assistance is Dec. 30.

In April, the county received coronavirus relief funds from the federal government as part of the CARES Act. The County Council has allocated more than $60 million of the money for various community relief efforts and grant programs for local residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the pandemic. Pursuant to federal guidelines, the coronavirus relief funds cover approved expenses through Dec. 30. With the deadline looming, the County Council agreed Tuesday that the county will continue to take grant applications from businesses and nonprofit agencies through Dec. 11 to give staff sufficient time to process the requests. While the county already has provided $8.8 million in grants to small businesses and home-based businesses, the number of applications has significantly declined.

“We will make a concerted effort to get the word out into the community that the program will be coming to a close in December,” Deputy County Manager Suzanne Konchan told council members Tuesday.

The council also had allocated $22.5 million for rent and mortgage assistance to local residents struggling to make housing payments due to a loss or reduction in income caused by the pandemic. For approved applicants, the money is paid to their landlord or mortgage holder. On Tuesday, council members were told that with $17.3 million in rent and mortgage assistance already paid out and another $4.4 million approved or in the pipeline, the fund only had about $900,000 left. And new applications still are coming in at a rate of about 53 per day. On Tuesday, the council pumped another $5 million into the program, bringing the total to $27.5 million, and agreed to continue accepting applications until the very last day – Dec. 30.

Information about the county’s COVID-19 grant programs can be found here:

Rental Assistance: www.volusia.org/c19ra

Mortgage Assistance: www.volusia.org/c19ma

Small Business/Home-Based Business: https://www.volusiabusinessresources.com/#homeSection348662

Grants for nonprofit organizations: https://www.unitedwayvfc.org/