Lee County accepting SHIP assistance applications

Starting Friday, you can apply to get money and pay your insurance deductibles in Lee County.

It comes nearly two weeks after Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the six hardest-hit counties would get their piece of $5 million to help.

Lee County’s chunk of money adds up to more than $2 million to help homes get fixed.

You can get up to $10,000, but there are restrictions.

• The home must be owned and occupied for a minimum of one year by the applicant as documented by homestead exemption status (mobile homes not eligible).
• The maximum amount of assistance will be $10,000 and depends on proof of a homeowner’s insurance policy showing the deductible amount.
• The home must be located in Lee County. If you are a resident of Cape Coral, you must contact them at housing@capecoral.gov to apply.
• The applicant must be current on Lee County taxes.
• Priority will be given to applicants who are very low-income (50% of AMI) and/or special needs households.
• The household annual income cannot exceed 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Snowbirds, you’re out of luck. You have to be a permanent full-time resident to apply. Priority will be given to those considered very low-income or special needs.

The county says very low income is 50% of the area’s median income (AMI). That’s about $28,000 for a one-person household, according to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

That amount changes depending on the number of people in the home, and household income cannot exceed 80% of AMI.

The county said you’ll also need to have ready identification, insurance and income documentation. You can type in all of your information online, but you will need to print it out to sign the documents and get it notarized.

You’ll also need copies of driver’s licenses for all adults in the home and birth certificates for the kids.

Make sure you print out your paystubs from the past two months and your most recent bank statements.

You also need to have proof of your insurance claim and a copy of an estimate and contract from an insured, licensed contractor ready. If approved, the contractor will then receive payments directly.

After you apply, keep an eye out for mail or an email letting you know if you were approved, denied or that the county needs more information.

If you live in Cape Coral, you’ll have a separate application through the city’s housing department. You must contact them at housing@capecoral.gov to apply.

The application is now available on the Lee County website.

To be put on a list to be notified when an application for assistance is available, you can email SHIPhousing@leegov.com or call 239-533-8585.

WINK News is working on getting more information on how to apply for this assistance in Collier County.

DeSoto County said you could walk in and apply in person.

Charlotte County stopped accepting applications for aid on Oct. 28.

To check to see if the contractor you hired is licensed, click here.