Pensacola's CRA will pay for tarps, boarded windows and fallen-tree removal on storm-hit homes in its Eastside, Westside and Urban Core districts. How to apply.

Homeowners in three Pensacola neighborhoods can get emergency grants to tarp a roof, board windows or remove fallen trees after Hurricane Isaias. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency opened the help to storm-damaged homes in its Eastside, Westside and Urban Core districts.

The city announced the program on Thursday. FEMA has not approved its Individual Assistance program for Isaias, which is the federal aid that pays people directly. Here is what the federal declaration covers.

What the grants pay for

The CRA’s emergency assistance quick guide says the money covers only the minimum work needed to stabilize a home and stop more damage:

  • emergency roof tarping
  • boarding damaged or broken windows
  • removing fallen or hazardous trees
  • other immediate work needed to protect the structure

It does not pay for permanent repairs during the emergency period, the guide says.

How the money is paid

The guide sets out the terms:

  • Emergency assistance is a grant, and no lien is placed on the home.
  • If you hire a contractor, the contractor must be licensed and insured, and the CRA pays the contractor directly.
  • If you or someone helping you does the work, only the cost of materials can be reimbursed, with paid receipts.
  • Payment is made after the work is finished and checked.

Household income can be self-certified during the emergency period, according to the program page. The city has not published a maximum award or an application deadline. All help depends on the money available.

Who goes first

When requests outrun the money, the CRA may put these first, according to its program FAQ:

  • homes with the most severe damage
  • conditions that put the home or the people in it at immediate risk
  • lower-income households
  • homes hit directly by hurricanes, flooding or other major storms

Homeowners who get an emergency grant and still need a new roof or new windows later may get priority for the CRA’s regular repair program over new applicants, the guide says.

Check whether your home qualifies

Only homes inside one of the three CRA districts can apply. The districts cover parts of the city, not the whole of it. Type your address into the city’s CRA district lookup map to check, or see the district maps.

How to apply

Have these ready, the program page says:

  • photos of the damage before any work starts
  • a short written description of the emergency
  • photos of the finished work
  • paid receipts for materials, if you did the work yourself

Then apply one of these ways:

  • Online: the application form
  • By email: craerp@cityofpensacola.com
  • On paper: pick up a form at City Hall, 222 W. Main St., or at the Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St.

Questions go to the CRA programs line at 850-436-5640.

Other help in one place

The Bayview Senior Center is also open as a Multi-Agency Resource Center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, the city said in a release Friday. A second center runs the same hours at the Salvation Army, 1501 N. Q St. The city said they are not food or supply distribution sites.

Agencies on hand include:

  • the American Red Cross
  • the City of Pensacola Housing Department
  • the Florida Department of Children and Families
  • the Florida Department of Elder Affairs
  • Legal Services of North Florida
  • the United Way of West Florida
  • Veterans Affairs

Escambia County Area Transit gives free rides to both centers. Call 850-471-6657, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and say “MARC.”

What it means for you

  • Take photos before you tarp or cut. The CRA needs pictures of the damage before work begins and after it is done.
  • Keep every receipt if you are buying tarps, plywood or other materials yourself. Only materials are reimbursed for do-it-yourself work.
  • Use a licensed, insured contractor if you hire help, or the CRA cannot pay them.
  • Pull a permit for bigger repairs. Escambia County explains the rules on its permitting after a storm page.
  • Outside the CRA districts? Report damage through the county’s Citizen Damage Report. It is not a FEMA application.

Our Isaias recovery story has the latest on water, debris pickup, parks and schools. The building permits and zoning page explains how city permits work.