8/29/18 @ 3:30 p.m. -  

The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners has approximately $120,000 in affordable housing dollars available through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program to serve persons with Developmental Disability/Disabling Condition/Special Needs providing home modifications/rehabilitation to an existing home or providing down payment and closing cost assistance to those qualifying to purchase a home or to the family member with whom they reside. Mobile homes are not eligible for assistance.
 
Developmental Disability means a disorder or syndrome that is attributable to intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, or Prader-Willi syndrome; that manifests before the age of 18; and that constitutes a substantial handicap that can reasonably be expected to continue indefinitely.
s. 393.063(9) Florida Statues
 
Disabling Condition means a diagnosable substance abuse disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability or chronic physical illness or disability or the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions, and a determination that the condition is:

1. Expected to be long-continued and indefinite duration and
2. Not expected to impair the ability of the person with special needs to live independently with appropriate supports.

 s.420.004(7) Florida Statues
 
Special Needs means an adult person requiring independent living services in order to maintain housing or develop independent living skills and who has a disabling condition:

1. A young adult formerly in foster care who is eligible for services under s. 409.1451(5)
2. A survivor of domestic violence as defined in s. 741.28 or
3. A person receiving disability benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or from Veteran’s Disability Benefits.

For additional information, please visit our website. You may also contact Grants Specialist, Carol Gilchrist, at (904) 530-6020 or via e-mail at cgilchrist@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

9/21/17 @ 3:15 p.m. - Please see the below Press Release from the Nassau County Grants Office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAROL GILCHRIST
(904) 530-6020
 
SHIP Funds Available to Aid in Disaster Relief for Low-Income Families
 
Executive Order Number 17-235 was issued by Governor Rick Scott on September 4, 2017, due to threats related to Hurricane Irma. The Executive Order allows local government to use unencumbered State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds to carry out activities related to disaster relief. (Florida Administrative Code, 67-37.005(9)) This State of Emergency shall expire 6 months from the date of this order.
 
Nassau County citizens in need of emergency assistance for damages related to Hurricane Irma could qualify for up to $5,000 in grant funds to be used to protect their home from further damage. Examples include tree removal from home, hiring of a cleaning service to extract water, roof repairs, boarding of broken windows, and payment of insurance deductible. Mobile homes and rental properties are not eligible.
 
Assistance is only for very-low and low income families. This applies to those with household income equal to or less than 80% of the area median income as shown on the chart below.
                                          
Household Size                     Annual Income Limit                         
1                                  $36,050
2                                  $41,200
3                                  $46,350
4                                  $51,500
5                                  $55,650
6                                  $59,750
7                                  $63,900
8                                  $68,000
 
Nassau County citizens meeting the above requirements and in need of assistance should contact the Nassau County SHIP Office at (904) 530-6020. Applicants will be required to fill out a Disaster Self Certification Form and a SHIP Application, and must provide income documentation.
 
 ******************************************************************************************************
-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office
 
 
 

Due to an error in the advertisement regarding SHIP Funding, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation has directed the County to readvertise the program, therefore applications for down payment and rehabilitation assistance will NOT BE available on Friday, December 16th as originally anticipated. The new date that applications will be available is Friday, January 20th. Applications can be picked up beginning at 8:00 a.m. on the 20th at the Office of Management & Budget located at 96135 Nassau Place, Suite 2, Yulee, FL 32097. Funding is awarded on a first come, first served basis and applications will not be accepted after funds are exhausted.

The State Housing Iniatives Program (SHIP) provides affordable housing assistance to very-low, low, and moderate-income families who meet all the requirements outlined in Florida Statute, Section 420.907, Administrative Code 67-37 and Nassau County's Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP). SHIP has provided Fiscal Year 2016/2017 for both down payment assistance for those interested in purchasing a home and rehabilitation asstistance for those needing repairs on an existing home. For additional information on the SHIP Program including income limits and program guidelines, please visit the SHIP webpage. You may also contact Carol Gilchrist at (904) 530-6020 or via e-mail at cgilchrist@nassaucountyfl.com. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office  

10/19/16 at 10:15 a.m.  - Executive Order Number 16-230 was issued by Governor Rick Scott on October 3, 2016, due to threats related to Hurricane Matthew. The Executive Order allows local government to use unencumbered State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds to carry out activities related to disaster relief (Florida Administrative Code, 67-37.005(9)).

Nassau County citizens in need of emergency assistance for damages related to Hurricane Matthews could qualify for up to $5,000 in grant funds to be used to protect their home from further damage. Examples include tree removal from home, hiring of a cleaning service to extract water, roof repairs, boarding of broken windows, and payment of insurance deductible. Mobile homes and rental properties are not eligible.

Assistance is only for very-low and low income families. This applies to those with household income equal to or less than 80% of the area median income as shown on the chart below:

Household Size       Annual Income Limit 
1                    $36,350
2                    $41,550
3                    $46,750
4                    $51,900
5                    $56.100
6                    $60,250
7                    $64,400
8                    $68,550

Nassau County citizens meeting the above requirements or needing assistance should contact the Nassau County SHIP Office at (904) 530-6020. Applicants will be required to fill out a Disaster Self Certification Form and a SHIP Application, and must provide income documentation. 

-Carol Gilchrist
 Office of Management & Budget/Grants/SHIP