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Tallahassee commissioners to address housing needs as CARES Act funds run out

Posted at 6:37 PM, Dec 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-03 18:37:36-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Weeks remain before CARES Act funding runs out on December 26, sand city leaders are looking at ways to help people who may currently or soon be facing housing hardships.

More than 400 people in Tallahassee don't have a place to call home. That number could grow quickly as eviction moratoriums end and CARES Act funding dries up.

Abena Ojetayo leads the city's Housing and Community Resilience department. She says her team will present data about housing stability to commissioners Tuesday.

Their findings range from data on people experiencing extreme homelessness to those who are considered housing cost-burdened, which means they may not be able to bounce back from common crises in the pandemic like job losses or missed wages. Their focus, she says, is prevention.

"So over the course of the workshop, commissioners will consider this data they will think about a little contact and will discuss with them and take some direction on how we might continue to partner with others to solve this really big problem," said Ojetayo. "And that's something that's beyond what the city can do on its own, but the commission wants to be proactive and thinking about what the situation is on the ground and considering options moving forward."

Commissioners will discuss these and other housing concerns during a special workshop next Tuesday at 10 a.m. in City Hall.