Florida nonprofit organizations have been awarded nearly $3 million in grants to help low-income residents resolve legal issues from hurricanes Irma and Maria, officials announced this week.
The 2017 storms, separated by just two weeks, left a trail of destruction across the state and caused thousands of displaced Puerto Ricans to evacuate here from the island. A year later, residents are still facing foreclosures, bankruptcies, FEMA and insurance disputes, the aftermath of contractor scams and other problems.
The new disaster-relief funding comes from the Legal Services Corporation, an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974. Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, one of four organizations in the state to receive the grant money, will be able to help hundreds of additional clients in Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Marion, Putnam, Sumter and Volusia as a result.
To qualify for help, residents generally cannot earn more than 125 percent of the federal poverty threshold, though there may be exceptions for victims of domestic violence and the elderly. To see if you qualify or for other questions, contact the mid-Florida helpline at 1-800-405-1417.
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida is a full-service nonprofit law firm specializing in cases of consumer protection, family law, domestic violence, elder abuse and neglect, health and income-related benefits, housing and veterans’ benefits.
ksantich@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5503, @katesantich. Please consider supporting local journalism by purchasing a digital subscription to the Orlando Sentinel.
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