Orange County to allocate an additional $30 million to provide more residents financial assistance

Orange CARES application portal for residents to reopen October 12 and 24

From the Orange County Newsroom

Orange County Government has invested an additional $30 million into the Individual and Family Assistance Program, which provides a one-time payment of $1,000 per household for residents affected by COVID-19.

“With the recent announcement by several employers of thousands of employee layoffs, it will no doubt accentuate the needs for crisis assistance to families in our community and we want to assist as many residents as possible with these relief dollars,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings.

The County has already spent nearly $30 million in local CARES funding on the program, which has helped nearly 30,000 households.

The County will reopen the application portal on Monday, October 12, 2020 at 8 a.m., and Saturday, October 24, 2020, at 8 a.m., and then reevaluate the program’s funding capacity. Residents can access the portal directly at ocfl.net/CaresForResidents. Information on the webpage ocfl.net/OrangeCARES will be updated soon to reflect the latest information.

The system will allow up to 10,000 users inside the application portal on each opening day to submit their documentation. Residents are urged to review the eligibility criteria, and prepare all required documents before applying.

It is important to note the following:

• Residents who have already received funding from Orange County’s CARES Act Individual and Family Assistance Program, are not eligible to reapply.
• Photo ID, Social Security Card, and COVID-19 impact documentation must match the applicant’s name, and cannot be from different individuals. The name entered on the application must match the name on the social security card in order to process the payment.
• P.O. Boxes may not be used as any address for this program. You must use your own physical address and not a family member’s. If you use someone else’s address, assistance will be denied if someone else has already received assistance or applied for assistance at that address.

For more information on eligibility criteria and required documents, visit ocfl.net/OrangeCares. If you are unable to access the Internet or have a language barrier, please call Orange County’s 3-1-1 call system for assistance.