At the request of the State of the Florida, FEMA approved Direct Temporary Housing Assistance, which may be provided to eligible applicants to meet their temporary housing needs.
Eligibility
Applicants may be eligible for direct temporary housing if they are:
- Homeowners or renters whose home received major damage (significant structural damage that requires extensive repairs and is not safe and functional to live in) or has been destroyed (total loss or damaged to such an extent that repair is not feasible) as a result of the disaster (based on the FEMA inspection); and
- Your primary residence is within one of the four counties designated for FEMA’s Direct Temporary Housing Assistance – Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto and Lee.
What Happens Next?
If applicants meet the criteria for direct temporary housing, they will be contacted by FEMA.
Applicants who do not qualify for direct temporary housing may qualify for rental assistance. FEMA rental assistance provides temporary financial help so disaster survivors have somewhere to live while they make plans for permanent housing.
Direct Temporary Housing Options Can Include:
- Transportable Temporary Housing Units – FEMA may place a travel trailer or Manufactured Housing Unit (MHU) on a private site or in a commercial park. FEMA may also coordinate with the State of Florida and local officials to construct group sites for several transportable housing units.
o   Applicants approved for a travel trailer or MHU must sign a Revocable License and Receipt of Government Property prior to moving into the unit.
- Direct Lease – FEMA may lease existing, ready-to-occupy residential properties for use as temporary housing. Eligible property types may include vacation rentals, corporate apartments, second homes, single-family homes, cooperatives, condominiums, townhouses, and other readily fabricated dwellings. Direct lease is for eligible applicants whose housing needs cannot be met with other direct temporary housing assistance options.
- Multi-family Lease and Repair – FEMA funds the repair or improvement of existing vacant multi-family rental properties that eligible applicants can use for temporary housing.
o   Applicants approved for Multi-family Lease and Repair or Direct Lease must sign a temporary housing agreement with FEMA and an occupant lease with the property owner prior to moving into the unit.
Survivors may be eligible even if they did not qualify for Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA). Information provided to FEMA at the time of application is sufficient for FEMA to make a decision on eligibility.
FEMA will work with eligible applicants to ensure they are making progress on a permanent housing plan while receiving Direct Temporary Housing Assistance.
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