VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — For residents still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Ian, Volusia County launched the Transform386 program to assist with home improvements.

What You Need To Know

  • Volusia County's Transform386 program works collaboratively with the nonprofit SBP's Recovery Acceleration Fund (RAF) to assist residents with Hurricane Ian home repairs
  • Deltona Resident Sabine Mathieu got her home back on Feb. 28 after SBP completed all the repairs from damages related to Hurricane Ian

“If you still have damage from Hurricane Ian, we are able to actually help you get those repairs done," Volusia County Community Information Division manager Clayton Jackson said. "But there’s another component, say, for example, that you were actually able to finance the repairs yourself. There’s a reimbursement component that you may be able to receive those funds as long as you kept the receipts and documented all those expenses."

Transform386 is funded by a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The county received $328.9 million to administer the program.

Since it launched in November, the program has received more than 1,000 applications. Out of those, more than 200 have met the income eligibility criteria.

“As we continue our recovery efforts, it will be a community effort," Jackson said. "Not one agency entity can do this on their own. The county, you know, we’re trying to take the charge to just trying to Transform386 program, but we realize there are other assets and resources available to the community."

That’s the case of the nonprofit organization SBP and its Recovery Acceleration Fund (RAF), which was launched as a pilot program in Louisiana in the summer of 2022 in response to Hurricane Ida.

SBP has been rebuilding homes in the state of Florida for more than six years. After a successful pilot of the Recovery Acceleration Fund in Louisiana, Volusia County welcomed SBP to replicate the program to assist in their recovery from Hurricane Ian.

SBP began working with county officials last summer to understand the needs throughout the community and how they could utilize the Recovery Acceleration Fund to shrink the time between disaster and recovery.

Construction of the first project began in January of this year and concluded last week.

Deltona Resident Sabine Mathieu got her home back on Feb. 28 after SBP completed all the repairs from damages related to Hurricane Ian.

“Federal assistance takes an incredibly long time to get to these impacted communities, even the fastest long-term recovery programs take time to build and scale those programs," said Steve Doolen, director of operations for SBP’s Recovery Acceleration Fund. "But the most vulnerable impacted homeowners need repairs today and we can, we’re trying to identify those homeowners immediately."

SBP provided Mathieu with a bridge loan through its Florida Recovery Acceleration Fund . With her home repairs completed, Mathieu is set to apply for reimbursement through Transform386’s Hurricane Ian Homeowner Recovery program.

To date, SBP has received 75 applications. They are actively working with local community partners to identify homeowners throughout Volusia County who are still in need of assistance.

Mathieu was the first person to receive repair assistance through the program. The Recovery Acceleration Fund continues to qualify additional families and is scheduled to begin additional home repair projects in the coming weeks.

The Recovery Acceleration Fund mirrors Transform386 eligibility criteria. Those who qualify must be low-to-moderate income homeowners who have home repair needs as a result of Hurricane Ian, and:

  • They must have owned the home at the time of Hurricane Ian and currently own the home
  • The home must be their primary residence
  • The household income must be at or below 80% area median income

SBP’s Recovery Acceleration Fund offers home repair loans for disaster survivors who will be eligible for federal recovery assistance but aren’t able to finance those necessary home repairs today. They verify eligibility, work with contractors to complete the home repairs, and once the repairs are complete, they assist the homeowner in applying to Volusia County’s Transform386 program to reimburse the cost of repairs.

The application window for the SBP’s Recovery Acceleration Fund is active and ongoing. If homeowners are a homeowner with damages from Hurricane Ian, they can be contacted at fraf@sbpusa.org or by phone at 863-660-2735.

In terms of the Transform386 program, there is no specific deadline set yet, but Volusia County officials encourage those eligible to apply soon if they need repair. 

“Please apply as soon as possible," Jackson said. "Even though we don’t have a deadline set, as soon you get your application in, the sooner we can go and start working, get you back on your fee."

To fill out a Volusia County’s Transform386 program application, visit the program's website.