Apply By June 1 For Pinellas Cares Individual & Business Assistance

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Individuals and families have until June 1 to request emergency help paying overdue rent, mortgage and utilities through the Pinellas CARES Financial Assistance program.

Pinellas County residents who have lost their job or significant income due to the coronavirus can apply for one-time assistance of up to $4,000 by texting COVIDCARES to 898211. Those who have questions or need to speak to someone by phone can also call 2-1-1.

A separate program providing one-time grants for qualifying small businesses will also remain open for new applications through June 1. Business owners can learn more or apply online at this website.

Both programs are funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Pinellas County has also helped 156 households impacted by coronavirus pay for emergency overdue rent, mortgage and utilities with another 880 cases in progress expected to cover more than $1 million.

All applications started by 11:59 p.m., Monday, June 1, will be processed. The county encourages applicants to make sure they send in all required documentation to ensure eligibility and faster service.

Applicants can text pictures via mobile device of the following documents after starting the process by texting COVIDCARES to 898211.

Documentation of the following will be required for all requests. To expedite the request, applicants should submit all documents at one time.

• Job or income loss directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. your workplace shut down under state or local orders): Examples include paystubs, a letter from employer or proof of employer business closure.
• Income level: During the month in which you apply for assistance, your household income cannot exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level with no more than $4,000 in liquid assets (cash, savings and checking). This amount varies depending on the number of people in your household.
• Number of People in Household: Income the Month You Apply Can Be No More Than:

1 $2,127
2 $2,873
3 $3,620
4 $4,367
5 $5,113
6 $5,860
7 $6,607
8 $7,353

• Pinellas County residency: proof may include driver’s license or utility bill with current address.
• Legal Status: proof of U.S. citizenship, including naturalized citizens, or other legal residency status (i.e. permanent residents), such as birth certificate, Social Security card, U.S. passport, green card or other official documents.

Business Grants

Since the grant application opened on Monday, May 4, Pinellas County has received 3,743 completed applications from businesses and issued 307 checks totaling more than $1.5 million to eligible businesses with approved applications.

Small business owners with a commercial location in the county have until June 1 to complete their application online to be considered for a one-time $5,000 grant to cover coronavirus-related expenses such as employee wages, vendor bills and mortgage or rent costs.

Not all business owners in the categories below will meet the eligibility requirements for this grant funding. However, business owners who may be eligible are encouraged to click here to review the full eligibility requirements.

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Lodging and short-term rentals
• Barbershops
• Hair salons
• Nail salons
• Retail store fronts that were required to close due to the coronavirus
• Theaters, bowling alleys, concert venues and similar types of businesses

Applicants should review all eligibility requirements and ensure all required documents are correctly submitted to expedite the review and approval process for the grant.

Program details can be found at this website.

Pinellas CARES Financial Assistance is managed by 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares and Pinellas County.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.