Cape Coral, Habitat for Humanity help families with CARES Act funds

Writer: Melissa Montoya
Published: Updated:
Hadasa Palacios is one of the benefactors of CARES Act funds from the city of Cape Coral and Habitat for Humanity.

Nearly 200 families in Cape Coral now have the money they need to pay their rent and mortgage.

The city of Cape Coral and Habitat for Humanity partnered to distribute $900,000 in CARES Act money to 193 families that have fallen behind on their bills in Cape Coral. The city of Cape Coral plans to offer more mortgage, rent and utility assistance in March.

All applicants must prove they lost income due to COVID-19.

Palacios gave birth to a baby girl in March of last year and went on unpaid maternity leave. She was unable to get back to work. Her husband, who worked a high-risk job, also stopped working to make sure their baby was not exposed. For four months, it was just them two and their daughters.

“I don’t know where this was going to go or how bad it was,” Palacios said.

The family applied for food stamps to make ends meet.

“It’s nice to know that we were able to extend our reach and help even more families during such a scary time,” said Alex Wilson, with Habitat for Humanity.

Palacios is back to work full-time but without the city’s help, she is unsure how she would have gotten back on track.

It took Palacios more than four months to get back to work. And while she started working, it took some time to receive her first paycheck.

“I think I might’ve lost my home, to be honest,” she said.

“It was a huge help,” Palacios added.

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