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USDA Activates Program to Help People in Rural Florida Repair Homes Damaged by Severe Weather and Natural Disasters

Name
Gainesville
Release Date

Home Repair Loan and Grant Available for People in Presidentially Declared Disaster Areas

Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 17, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands Lakeisha Hood Moise today announced the availability of the Department's Single Family Housing Home Repair Loans and Grants in Presidentially Declared Disaster Areas Pilot Program to make it easier for people in rural areas across Florida to access loans and grants to repair homes damaged by presidentially declared disasters through the conclusion of the pilot on July 18, 2025.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are looking at every avenue possible to accelerate assistance and find ways to get people the resources they need to help rebuild their homes and their lives,” State Director Hood Moise said. “We remain committed to deploying every resource at our disposal to help families and individuals in rural communities recover from natural disasters.”

As a part of the pilot, which was introduced in the aftermath of the calendar year 2022 disasters, USDA made a number of changes to its Single Family Housing Home Repair Program, including:

  • Increasing the maximum grant amount from $10,000 to $15,000.
  • Loans and grants can be combined for up to $55,000 in assistance.
  • Refinancing debt and reimbursing repair costs incurred as a result of the natural disaster and prior to the date of the application.
  • Financing costs to relocate mobile and manufactured homes.

Funds may be used in presidentially declared disaster areas designated most recently as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as those areas that have been subject to natural disasters since July 18, 2022. 

The homes must be located in eligible rural areas and presidentially declared disaster areas where individuals and households have also been designated eligible to apply for financial and direct services from FEMA.

Applications must be submitted directly to the Rural Development State Office.

For more information on how to apply, contact the appropriate Area Office found here, https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-page/florida-and-virgin-islands-contacts, or visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-programs/single-family-housing-rural-disaster-home-repair-grants.

Additional information is also available on page 60883 of the Sept. 6 Federal Register, page 45809 of the July 18 Federal Register, and page 48500 of the June 7 Federal Register.

For more resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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