Polk County offering rent and mortgage assistance beginning Tuesday

LAKELAND, Fla. - Financial help is on the way for people living in Polk County who may have gotten behind on or need help with their rent or mortgage payments.

The county plans to use $2.5 million in leftover CARES Act funding to help certain people impacted by the pandemic who qualify catch up on their payments.   

Applications are going to be taken online here starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, December 29. Applications will close at 5 p.m. Thursday, December 31.

People who qualify for this assistance may get up to $5,000. However, the county says the average amount given out will be around $3,500. 
 
To qualify, you must be a Polk County resident, have lost income, lost your job, or gotten sick because of the coronavirus. People who have received certain CARES Act housing money from Polk County over the summer cannot re-apply and neither can people who live in Lakeland or other places that have similar programs.  
  
Applications will be accepted online only for the next couple of days on a first-come, first-serve basis.  A call center will open on Dec. 29. If you have questions you can call (863) 519-1000 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m

For more information or to apply, head over to the Polk County government’s website.