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New State Help For Jacksonville Homeowners, Puerto Rico Evacuees Recovering From Hurricanes

Cherisse Lamb
Ken Knight Drive is flooded during Hurricane Irma on Sept. 11, 2017.

Duval County homeowners whose houses were damaged by last year’s hurricanes may be eligible for new assistance money from the state.

The Florida Housing Finance Corp. this week announced $5 million has been earmarked for Duval and 11 other counties considered the hardest hit by the storms through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP Program.  

Assistance available includes home repairs, home replacement and rental payments. SHIP serves very low- to moderate-income families.

Help is also available through the program for evacuees who fled the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  

Duval residents can apply by contacting the Jacksonville Housing and Community Development Division at 904-255-8200 or visiting the office at 214 N. Hogan Street, 7th Floor.

Affordable Housing Administrator Dayatra Coles can be reached at 904-255-8216 or dcoles@coj.net.

To view the list of all SHIP offices and contacts, visit FloridaHousing.org.

And visit this page for a list of resources available to help hurricane victims recover. 

Contact Jessica Palombo at 904-358-6315, jpalombo@wjct.org or on Twitter at @JessicaPubRadio.

Cyd Hoskinson began working at WJCT on Valentine’s Day 2011.
Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP