Help is on the way for Floridians in financial distress because of the pandemic.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that Florida will take part in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

The program will provide $1.4 billion in emergency rental assistance to Floridians, of which it is anticipated that more than $850 million will be administered by the State of Florida.

Cities and counties with a population of 200,000 and greater will receive funds directly from the United States Department of the Treasury for the program.

Households meeting the following criteria will be eligible for assistance:

• Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19.
• Demonstrates the risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income, with priority given to households below 50 percent of the area median income.

The State expects disbursement of funds under the Emergency Rental Assistance Program from the federal government to eligible units of government to occur in the coming weeks.