Following Hurricane Irma, Northeast Florida families found themselves forced to live in storm-damaged homes with conditions deteriorating around them.  Often with no insurance and limited assistance received from FEMA, these households were referred to the Northeast Florida Long-Term Recovery Organization (NFLTRO) and its partners. The NFLTRO Unmet Needs Roundtable was established to consider cases for assistance for families who had nowhere else to turn when other assistance programs had exhausted their funds.  These families, most of whom reside in underserved urban core neighborhoods, typically live well below poverty guidelines and barely make ends meet for basic needs, much less for costly repairs.  In fact, the average cost of repairs ($15,000) is almost as much as their average annual income at $17,609.  76% are over the age of 60 and 75% live on a fixed income. Some have young children.  45% are people with disabilities.

Through a collaborative home repair program that utilizes neighborhood-based Community Development Corporations and contractors to complete construction projects, the Unmet Needs Roundtable has addressed the home repairs of 101 families from 2019-2021, at a cost exceeding $1 million dollars.

This video is a testament to the program and the impact it made for the survivors of Hurricane Irma.