ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - At their special meeting today, the Alachua County Commission approved the Alachua County Cares Act process for distributing these federal dollars. Alachua County will receive an approximately $46.9 million allocation from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act"). These funds may be used for necessary expenditures incurred for the COVID-19 emergency response. This program is for Alachua County residents only.
"Many individuals and businesses in our community are in dire straits," Alachua County Commission Chair Robert Hutchinson said. "As our community continues to come together to do what is needed to battle this insidious virus, the County is doing everything we can to get this money into the hands of those who need it most to ensure that they can pay towards their rent, mortgage, utilities, and other expenses."
Read the Alachua County Cares Act Funding Plan.
The Alachua County Cares Act website will go live beginning Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at 8 a.m. Residents are encouraged to fill out the application online. The website and application form are mobile phone friendly. The site features:
Application instructions
A frequently asked questions section
A link to the application
The application process will be opened in phases as follows:
Individual assistance grants opened on August 4, 2020, at 8 a.m. ($21.1 million)
Small and medium business grants opened on August 10, 2020 ($15 million)
Inter-government organization grants opened on August 17, 2020 ($8.3 million)
The website link will be posted at 8 a.m. on the home page of the County website.
If you need assistance, there is A live chat on the website and a Cares Act help-line at 352-309-2505. The live chat and the help-line are opened from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Initially, we expect very high call volume and ask for your patience if the line is busy.
If you need assistance or access, please contact CARESindividuals@alachuacounty.us or 352-309-2505 (during normal business hours).
With a few exceptions (bank account numbers and social security numbers) all applications and related documentation are public record.
Please take a moment to review the Frequently Asked Questions portion of this site before filling out this application.
All items denoted with a (*) are required.
My permanent residence is in Alachua County, Florida.*☐Yes ☐No
I am a U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident Alien.* ☐Yes ☐No
I incurred a loss of income or increase in expenditures related to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020.* ☐Yes ☐No
I am having difficulty making required rent or mortgage, utilities, internet, phone, childcare, car payments, and or other basic living expense payments.* ☐Yes ☐No
I am in compliance with Alachua County's Public Safety Ordinance.* ☐Yes ☐No
My estimated 2020 household income is equal or less than 120% of Alachua County Area Median Income (AMI).* ☐Yes ☐No
I understand that I will have to provide social security numbers for each household member before funds will be distributed.* ☐Yes ☐No
If you answered No to any of the above questions, you are not eligible for the Alachua County CARES funding.
Date of Birth*:_________________________________________________________________________
Documentation of residence.
Please include a current utility bill (subsequent to May 1, 2020) showing applicant's name on the bill to document your residency.*
Please include a photo or image of your current driver’s license, state ID, or passport.*
Number of related individuals in household residing at address above (including applicant)._________
Fields are required for each related individual. If more lines are needed, please print this page again and include.
Related individual #1
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #2
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #3:
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #4:
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #5:
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #6:
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Related individual #7:
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth:*:_______________________________________________________________________
Number of unrelated individuals in household residing at address above. ________________________
Fields are required for each unrelated individual. If more lines are needed, please print this page again and include.
Unrelated individual #1
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Unrelated individual #2
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Unrelated individual #3
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Unrelated individual #4
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Unrelated individual #5
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Unrelated individual #6
First Name Middle Last name*:__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth*:_______________________________________________________________________
Financial impact and difficulty
Description of impact to income or expenses due to COVID-19 (examples are furloughs, pay cuts, layoffs, additional childcare). Please include the total pandemic-related financial impact to all related members within the household.*
Total household income after COVID-19 impact (Annual Income)*:
Estimated loss of income due to COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020*:
Estimated additional expenses due to COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020*
Please include supporting documentation for amounts claimed above. If adequate documentation is not included, approval will be delayed and application may be denied.*
Examples: Letter from employer to verify pay cut, furlough, or layoff with effective dates. If you still have income after COVID-19, please provide a paystub before and after the loss or support for unemployment received. If income loss is being claimed, last two paystubs prior to loss, or prior year W-2, or letter from employer certifying prior pay levels. If additional expenses are being claimed, invoices or cancelled checks.
Check all expenses that you have had difficulty paying due to COVID-19*
☐Rent ☐Mortgage ☐Utilities ☐Internet ☐Phone ☐Childcare
☐Car Payments ☐Other Living Expenses
Provide a description of which bills are past due or that you have had difficulty paying due to COVID-19*:
Total amount of expenses that are delinquent as of 7/31/20:
Total amount of expenses that you are having difficulty paying but is not late or delinquent as of 7/31/20:
Please include supporting documentation for amounts claimed above. If adequate documentation is not uploaded, approval will be delayed and application may be denied.
Examples: Monthly invoices for late/delinquent payments, showing period of time covered and late amounts. Monthly invoices for payments that applicant is having financial difficulty making. Invoices/bills/rental agreements must be in applicant's name or name of legal relation residing at same address. Invoices/bills/rental agreements must have address reported above as the billing address. Invoices/bills/rental agreements must be for periods between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020.
Please provide the name and amount of other COVID-19 assistance received.
Funding distribution requested:
☐EFT ☐Check ☐Preloaded Debit Card
Name on account1:_____________________________________________________________________
Checking or Savings Account:
1: Required for EFT only.
Attestation and certification
☐I hereby attest that all information and documentation provided in this application is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge.
☐I certify I am in compliance with Alachua County's Emergency orders related to COVID-19.
☐I understand that awards are on a first come, first served basis determined upon time and date of submittal of complete application, including all required documentation.
☐I understand that awards are dependent on determination of eligibility and that eligibility requirements are subject to change based on publications and guidance issued by the County, State and/or Federal agencies
☐I understand that awards are dependent on funding available and may be stopped at any time if funding available is changed.
☐I certify that I am eligible for the funding requested and understand that if it is determined that any information or documentation provided is fraudulent or misleading that I am responsible for returning the award funding upon request.
☐I understand that if awards are granted in error that I am responsible for returning the portion of the award that was ineligible.
☐Only applicants deemed eligible for some level of funding: When you request or receive funding from Alachua County, we collect information about you and your household and enter it into a computer program called HMIS. This program helps us to give you the best services we can, better understand the community needs, and to evaluate the effectiveness of services provided. HMIS is used by the member agencies of the North Central Florida Continuums of Care (NCFCoC), a group of partner agencies working together in Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Putnam Counties to provide services to those most in need in the community.