After Volusia County allocated a federal grant to help rebuild after Hurricane Milton, the Office of Recovery and Resilience hosted an informational public event Thursday evening to educate residents how the funds will be used and who qualifies for aid.
At the John H. Dickerson Community Center in Midtown, Daytona Beach, county workers welcomed locals with grilled hotdogs, games, and toys for children. Attendees could sign up for updates, leave feedback, and take home literature regarding the county’s Transform386 program that will manage the $133.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Funds.
The funds aim to rebuild communities
HUD’s CDBG- DR funds can help people hard -hit by storms who might have not have received aid through other federal means. Transform386 was launched by the county’s Office of Recovery and Resilience, which itself is a department created by the county after becoming a HUD grantee in 2023 for nearly $330 million in CDBG- DR funds for Hurricane Ian. The same team is now in charge of managing the Milton funds, with Director Dona Butler at the helm.
Butler, who’s worked with Volusia County for 34 years, led the presentation and took questions from the residents, many of which focused on how and when the federal aid would help them with home repairs, reimbursements, home replacements, and – a big point of interest among the crowd – home buyouts.
Butler said the program’s process can take a long time, get complicated and be restrictive. Her goal was to be not just informational to the public, but also transparent.
“They have to get all of their paperwork in, a damage assessment, an environmental assessment, and then we have to have a closing – it's a very lengthy process,” she said. “And a lot of folks are disappointed in the fact that the homes will be stick-built and not concrete block homes, but that's a program limitation that we have.”
But the funds are not for everybody
Another boundary about the program is who gets to qualify.
HUD guidelines state that at least 70% of the money is to be used on low-to-moderate income households. If repairs have been completed, homeowners may be entitled to reimbursements through the program – even if they didn’t have home insurance at the time. However, once someone has been helped by the federal program, they must keep their home properly insured to qualify for future aid.
Local high school dean and Volusia County resident since 1987, Susan Lewis, was dismayed to learn her income disqualifies her from getting help after her home was damaged by severe flooding after the storm, but said she supports her neighbors who will get the help they need.
“I think it’s a great program. I see a lot of positives with it. The only downside that I see at this time is that they're not able to help people who are over that range of salary brackets. So, no, I don't qualify for anything, but I'm just going to help put the word out to those who need assistance to get this out as much as possible,” she said.
The program includes $20 million to be used toward home buyouts. The buyouts amount is set through property appraisal. Butler said the home will be appraised in two ways, looking at its value pre-storm and post-storm. She said a lot of times, homes increase in value even after a storm due to Central Florida’s real estate market, regardless of damages or flood zones.
“Somebody could say, ‘Oh, I want pre-storm value.’ Don't be so quick,” she said.
Butler said, however, that the buyouts cap out at $400,000.
“If every home is valued at the max amount – do the math – that’s only 50 homes,” she said. “It’s not much.”
Residents must play their parts
Another restriction is a five-year lien that’s placed on the property after aid has been granted. This means a homeowner must remain in the house for at least five years. If a person decides to sell and move out, they must pay 20% for each year left on the lien, but if they stay the full five years, they wouldn’t have to pay anything at all, according to the program’s website.
Butler explained HUD is not investing in homes for homeowners to profit. The point is that the investment benefits the whole community.
“So, if someone sells and moves out after the first year, they would owe 80% of that lien, and that is completely reinvested back into affordable housing because it's an investment in affordable housing. So, you don't want to completely lose the affordable housing stock in the community,” she said.
One of the key messages at the event was that new applicants must be diligent and patient to enjoy the benefits of the program.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer Pierre Louis, a lifelong Volusia County resident, qualified and received a $277,000 award letter for his house to be entirely reconstructed after suffering damages from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
“They're going to tear it all the way down and construct a brand-new home,” he said. “We haven't seen it rebuilt yet.”
Louis is still waiting for the rebuild to happen, and yet, he said he believes in the program.
“It took a little process to get through it, time and stuff, but for the most part, it went very successfully,” he said. “Sometimes we get a little bit of a rush, but if you let the process work the way that it does, it's been very effective.”
This community event is the first, but Butler said the Transform386 team is planning to hold a similar informational session for the west side of the county and other communities as soon as they find a suitable location.
For now, Volusia County residents interested in applying can learn about the program’s eligibility requirements online and about the upcoming Hurricane Milton application portal by calling 386-943-7029 or emailing transform386@volusia.org.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
