$20 Million Through My Safe Florida Home Program Now Available to Non-Profit Organizations; Funds Are to Help Low-Income Floridians Strengthen Their Homes Against Hurricanes

Publisher: PR Newswire US
By: PR Newswire US
First published: August 23, 2006

The Florida Hurricane Relief Fund today released a "request for proposal" inviting non-profit organizations to help low-income Floridians strengthen their homes against natural disasters.

The Volunteer Florida Foundation, which administers the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund, is partnering with Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and the new My Safe Florida Home program to distribute up to $20 million to non-profit organizations to retrofit low-income homes in eight counties, including Broward, Escambia, Lee, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota and Volusia.

"Partnering with faith- and community-based groups to help fortify low- income homes in Florida is mission critical," said Gallagher, who oversees the My Safe Florida Home program. "Through these partnerships, we will be able to leverage resources and immediately help thousands of Floridians before the end of this hurricane season."

The request for proposal is posted at http://www.flahurricanefund.org/ . The deadline for submission is Wednesday, September 6, 2006.

"In our long-term recovery work following the last two hurricane seasons, we at the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund have learned the enormous value of partnering with community and faith-based groups, organizations that know their communities and are effective partners in accomplishing important tasks," said Liza McFadden, President of the Volunteer Florida Foundation. "We are honored to expand our role to include mitigation work with the Department of Financial Services to ensure Florida's low-income residents get the help they need to strengthen their homes."

Through non-profit organizations participating in the program, qualifying low-income Floridians will be eligible for a free home inspection and financial assistance to strengthen their homes.

Through this program, qualifying low-income Floridians may be eligible for assistance to strengthen their homes. Nonprofits wishing to apply to serve as local administrators are invited to an information conference at All Children's Hospital Conference Center, 801 6th St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 on Monday, August 28 from noon until 4 p.m. This conference is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit interested in working as a local administrator in any of the following areas: Broward, Escambia, Lee, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota and Volusia.

Attendance at this conference is not a requirement for application, although it is strongly urged. Deadline for RFP submission is Wednesday, September 6, 2006. To RSVP your attendance, please visit http://www.regonline.com/105930 .

Funding for the non-profit program is possible because of a $250 million appropriation by the Florida Legislature during the 2006 Session to create the Florida Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program. The program has been coined the My Safe Florida Home Program and was announced by Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and the Florida Department of Financial Services last week. The Department of Financial Services designated the Volunteer Florida Foundation this week to administer the low-income portion of the program through its Florida Hurricane Relief Fund.

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