TAMPA, Fla. – For the sixth year since March 2022, the City of Tampa has launched its rental assistance program to help families find stable housing. Nearly $3.1 million has been allocated to cover costs such as security deposits, first and last month’s rent, and monthly rental assistance for up to one year.
In the last cycle, around 1,800 families benefited from the support, including a local veteran and his family.
War veteran Marcos Morales fell on hard times after leaving the military. He had no permanent place to live until he was able to access the City of Tampa’s rental assistance program.
“It’s a huge relief,” Morales said. “Rents are going up and you have to employ four or five people to make sure they can afford the rent. And what happens when someone else leaves? Someone else has to take over.”
Morales moved into his new townhouse about a month ago.
“For now, it’s a start,” he said. “It’s been a long journey.”
Since the program’s inception, the City of Tampa has awarded over $9.5 million in rental assistance.
The program supports renters earning up to 140% of the area median income (AMI).
For a four-person household earning $70,000, the AMI would be 50-80% and they could qualify for a maximum total assistance of $7,500, or $625 per month.
Between February and April this year, the RMAP program helped:
- 51 people who were homeless,
- 35 disabled people,
- 29 seniors,
- 211 families with minor children.
Marcos says his children and his newfound love have encouraged him to keep going.
“I live day by day,” Marcos said. “I value life more. I value it very much.”
The city will accept 25 eligible applications each Tuesday and Thursday until the funding limit is reached. To apply, visit the following link: tampa.gov/rmap.
