A new statewide program called Rebuild Florida launched on Friday in Jacksonville.
It was created to help the thousands of people still trying to recover from Hurricane Irma.
During the press conference held Friday morning by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the director of emergency preparedness for Mayor Lenny Curry’s office said 112,000 households in Duval County applied for help after the storm, but only 30,000 got approved.
Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole spoke to a resident of Neptune Beach who said she feels like that program could be her last hope.
"It's all gone. You can't put it back like it was,” Julie Cumming told Action News Jax.
She said her family has been displaced since Hurricane Irma destroyed her home last September.
“Four-story tree fell and destroyed my home. Second trunk of it fell and destroyed the back side,” Cumming said.
She said that, while she had the proper insurance, it hasn't helped much.
"We really believed that, the first of the year, we'd at the least be started in rebuilding our home. That's not the case,” said Cumming.
Cumming said she has called Neptune Beach home since 2002, but since she hasn’t received help in more than a year. Her and her rescue animals have had to live in a trailer in her driveway.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity created the Rebuild Florida program to help people such as Cummings.
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The program allows people, who still need help repairing and rebuilding their homes to sign up for assistance.
"It's quick and easy and takes 15 minutes. You don't have to provide any documentation. It's basically information about who you are, where you live and your income,” said Erin Gillespie, the deputy chief of staff of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The program aims to help the most financially vulnerable population.
"We're also giving priority to families with kids under the age of 5, individuals with disabilities and those over the age of 62,” Gillespie told Action News Jax.
There are three ways to sign-up:
- Visit the physical location on 215 Market Street in Downtown Jacksonville. There will be case managers on-site, ready to help.
- Call 844-833-1010 Y
- Visit rebuildflorida.gov
Registration is open right now and will close on December 23, 2018.
If you have questions about your eligibility for the program, click here.
“I really hope that this program can help me. I really, really hope it can,” said Cumming.