Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grants Applications Accepted Starting Sept. 25

Originally published Sept. 24, 2020

Escambia County will start accepting applications for the Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grants beginning Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 a.m. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m.

Applications will be accepted online at myescambia.com/CARES and at several  physical locations throughout the county.

Those needing assistance or who do not have access to the internet and wish to apply with paper forms instead of online can visit one of the 12 fully-staffed application assistance centers located throughout the county, with at least one location available in each district.

These locations will be staffed for in-person application assistance during the grant application window, Friday, Sept. 25, through Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 5 p.m. weekends (unless otherwise noted):

• Beulah Senior Citizens Center, 7425 Woodside Drive
  • Open Friday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, from noon to 5 p.m.; and Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 1 to 8 p.m.
• Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St.
• Carver Park Resource Center, 208 Webb St.
• Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd.
• Dorrie Miller Community Center, 2819 N. Miller St.
• Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
• Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road
• Gull Point Community Center, 7000 Spanish Trail
• Marie K. Young Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road
• Molino Library, 6450 Highway 95-A North
• Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97 North

• Woodland Heights Community Center, 111 Berkeley Dr.

Escambia County has allocated more than $3.5 million of CARES Act funding to provide grants of $2,000 each to families who have been impacted by COVID-19 and need of assistance. Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grants will be dispersed on a first-qualified, first-served basis.

To be eligible for the Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grant, applicants must:

• Be residents of Escambia County.
• Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have a household income of $45,000 or less.
• Have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

To apply for the Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grant, applicants will need to provide:

• Certification of COVID-19 impact
• Copy of a valid, state-issued ID 
• Copy of Social Security card or other proof of a Social Security number
• Tax-Filers: Copy of the first page of their 2019 federal tax return (IRS form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ)
• Non-Tax Filers: Self-Certification letter stating why you did not file a 2019 Federal Income Tax Return and/or the type of income you received – Social Security Benefits (SSA, SSI/SSD), Railroad Retirement, Veterans Affairs Pension, Disability Benefits, etc.
• A completed W-9 form. Click here for the fillable W-9 Form. 

For more information on the Escambia Cares Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grant, visit the program's list of Frequently Asked Questions.