Coronavirus COVID-19 Resources and Updates

Table of Contents

Last Updated: 11/4/2021

The office of District 5 remains committed to the safety and well-being of its residents. We will continue to monitor the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and make sure that you are well informed and have access to the resources you need. If you require assistance at this time, please see below for a list of services.

Note: We are doing our best to confirm each resource listed. We cannot guarantee that the length of time these will be available or that you will qualify for the programs. Most have a link where you can confirm and get updates. If you find one that is no longer valid, please let us know.

State Coordinating Officer
Florida Division of Emergency Management
www.floridadisaster.org
850-815-4000

State Health Officer
Florida Department of Health
www.floridahealth.gov
850-245-4444
health@flhealth.gov

Governor’s Office
850-717-9337
governorron.desantis@eog.myflorida.com

ORANGE COUNTY SUPPORT

Orange County Government is monitoring the status of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Officials are asking the community to help minimize the potential spread of germs, and to monitor personal health.
To better serve and assist residents regarding concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), below are established Call Centers to answer general questions residents and visitors may have at 408-836-3111.

Links for further assistance are below:

Orange County’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information webpage: www.ocfl.net/Coronavirus
Center for Disease Control: CDC’s webpage.
Florida Department of Health (DOH-Orange): (407) 858-1487
Orange County residents: 407-723-5004. Call Center is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Call Center is 1-866-779-6121 or COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

MAIN SOURCES FOR ASSISTANCE

211 is a vital service that connects millions of people to help every year. To get expert, caring help, call 211 today or search for your local 211 click here.

Neighborhood Centers for Families (NCF) are one-stop centers that provide residents with a multitude of valuable services within their communities. Funded by the Orange County Citizens’ Commission for Children, services are offered at 13 locations throughout the County. They offer counseling programs, tutoring, employment skills, case management, senior activities, limited health services, and so much more. For more information on the location and services offered click here.

HEALTH SERVICES, AND COVID-19 VACCINATIONS AND TESTING

COVID-19 VACCINE

For COVID-19 vaccination sites, please visit this link

Barnett Park

Pre-Register

In partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, Orange County Government’s Health Services Department is providing free, convenient drive-thru vaccinations at Barnett Park.

Hours: Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808

Additional Information:

No appointment needed, but pre-registration is recommended
Vaccine availability: Pfizer – first dose, second dose, booster for eligible individuals – Moderna – second dose – Johnson & Johnson – single dose
Available for individuals 12+ (minors must have a legal guardian present during vaccination)
Vaccination record card/form required for second doses and booster shots
Transportation options for individuals 60+ provided by Access LYNX
General Questions: Dial 3-1-1, or visit the 311 webpage

#IGotMyShot Mobile Vaccination Trailer

Learn More

Orange County Government’s mobile vaccination trailer visits a different community each day to ensures COVID-19 vaccines are accessible to homebound and hard-to-reach residents. Find out where the vaccination trailer will be next.

Hours: View schedule
Additional Information:

No appointment needed
Available for individuals 12+ (minors must have a legal guardian present during vaccination)
Pfizer vaccine only
If you received your first dose of Pfizer at a different location, you can receive your second dose at the #IGotMyShot mobile vaccination trailer (bring your vaccination card)

AdventHealth Centra Care

Learn More

AdventHealth Central Florida will administer first and second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at select Centra Care locations in Orange County. There is no out-of-pocket cost for patients receiving the vaccine.

Hours: View schedule
Locations: Colonial Town, Lake Nona, Winter Park, Winter Garden
Additional Information:

Registration required
Available for individuals 12+ (minors must have a legal guardian present during vaccination)
Pfizer vaccines available
If you received your first dose of Pfizer at a different location, you can receive your second dose at Centra Care (bring your vaccination card)

Federal Retail Pharmacies

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination is a collaboration between the federal government and national pharmacy partners to increase access to COVID-19 vaccination across the United States. Visit the links below to learn more about each pharmacy.

Orlando VA Healthcare Center

The Orlando VA Healthcare Center is offering COVID-19 vaccines for all eligible veterans, caregivers and spouses. Find a VA vaccination event in your area. For more information, veterans may dial 407-631-0499.

COVID-19 TESTING

To find a list of all active testing sites please click here

Additional Test Sites

The following testing sites are operated by private corporations and may charge fees. Please check with your primary care provider for additional options.

Antibody Testing
OneBlood is testing all blood donations for the COVID-19 antibody. The test is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to the virus, regardless of whether they ever showed symptoms. Appointments to donate are required. Visit www.oneblood.org/donate-now for more information.

The following Medical Centers will provide health services to those with little or no health insurance:

Grace Medical: https://www.gracemedicalhome.org/coronavirus.
Community Health Centers: https://www.chcfl.org/

AdventHealth has a free phone service for Floridians who have questions about COVID-19, including the ability to speak with a nurse as appropriate. The AdventHealth COVID-19 information line is 1-877-847-8747 and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Aspire Health Partners is offering a dedicated telephone line to assist residents with mental health concerns related to COVID-19. Residents can call the helpline to be connected with a caring mental health professional.
407-875-3700 X2

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC’s webpage.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Call Center is 1-866-779-6121 or COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

EVICTION PREVENTION

Here is a document with questions and answers that can provide quick guidance on what your rights are.

If you need legal assistance, please contact the following organizations:

Community Legal Services of Central Florida: https://www.clsmf.org/
Legal Aid Society of Orange County: https://www.orangecountybar.org/about/legal-aid-society

Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Orange County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program has a total capacity of $33.4 million, and will help residents who are in imminent danger of eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:
ocfl.net/RentalAssistance

FAQs: Eviction Protection and Housing Assistance

A list of frequently asked questions has been created in partnership with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida to help residents with housing rights questions and avoiding evictions. These documents were last updated April 1, 2021.

Resources:
English: FAQ
Spanish: FAQ
Creole: FAQ

HOMEOWNERS AND MORTGAGE PAYMENTS

Orange County residents who are behind on payments for their Federal Housing Administration insured mortgage may be able to seek assistance through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved housing counseling agency. Residents who are behind on payments are urged to contact their mortgage servicer and request COVID-19 forbearance.

Resources:
HUD COVID-19 Resource
HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
Florida Homeowner Assistance Fund

Federal regulators, through the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are ordering lenders to offer homeowners flexibility. However, this doesn’t mean to stop making payments and ignore the problem. You must contact your lender to ask for assistance.

FOOD ASSISTANCE

Second Harvest: For those who are in need of food assistance, Second Harvest and will be providing meals from various locations throughout Orlando. Please use the link to find a location closest to you: Second Harvest

Meals on Wheels: For Senior Citizens who shouldn’t leave their homes, Meals on Wheels offers a meal delivery service. Click Meals on Wheels to learn more.

Meals of Love: No longer available, due to max capacity. If you need food assistance, there are programs available, please call the Senior Resource Alliance helpline at 407-514-1800.

UTILITIES

Orange County Utilities

If you have fallen behind on payments and need help bringing your account current, please call Orange County Utilities at 407-836-5515, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Other Utility Providers:

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The below resources can assist with rent and bill payments and financial assistance.

Churches As a Source for Help: Churches may offer emergency rental or security deposit assistance. The focus tends to be on low-income families with an eviction notice or that have an onetime crisis situation. If a center can’t meet your needs, then they may offer referrals or help individuals in any other way possible. This may include assisting with applying for section 8 housing choice voucher or other rent-subsidized programs.

Catholic Charities of Central Florida: Numerous social services are offered in partnership with other churches. They offer Family Assistance, help for paying rent or essential utilities, and other aid. All services are by appointment only. Call the non-profit charity at (407) 658-1818. You can only get the appointment by calling 211.

Christian Services of Orange County and Central Florida: Housing programs are available, including rent or mortgage assistance. They may also coordinate meals. Some low-income families may be provided a loan to pay any back rent expenses due. Call 407-425-2523.

Central Florida Salvation Army Centers: Offer shelter, transitional housing, and limited amounts of financial aid. They can also help single parents, the disabled, and victims of domestic violence. Some emergency, one-time help for rent or energy bills may be offered. Orange County and Orlando, call 407-423-8581

Energy Bill Assistance: Get help paying your power bill in an emergency or weather-related crisis. We can also help if you simply can’t afford a larger than expected bill. Phone: (407) 836-7429

Orange County Human Services: Offers government benefits and solutions. This may include section 8 housing vouchers, emergency, one-time crisis aid for rent, and more. The telephone number is 407-836-6500.

Heart of United Way: Can assist with many needs and financial resources. Dial 2-1-1 or Apply for Help | Donate to Help

Unemployment / Benefits for Reemployment Assistance: If you are unable to access the website, you can access the paper forms which you can print and mail in at http://www.floridajobs.org/Reemployment-Assistance-Service-Center/reemployment-assistance/claimants/rapaperapplication.

Already Applied for Unemployment / Benefits for Reemployment Assistance: Track your application: connect.myflorida.com or call 1-800-204-2418. Both the link and phone number have been hard to reach. Let our office know if you have trouble, and we’ll forward your information to them.

WORK AND LEARN FROM HOME

Linkedin Learning

Working Remotely – 1 hr
Time Management: Working From Home – 1 hr 25 min
Being an effective Team Member – 31 min
Productivity Tips: Finding Your Productive Mindset – 59 min
Leading at a Distance – 36 min

Balancing Work and Life – 28 min
Thriving @ Work: the Connection between Well-being and Productivity – 41 min
Managing Stress for Positive Change – 57 min
Building Resilience – 34 min
Developing Resourcefulness – 18 min

AT&T

AT&T Home Internet – AT&T is offering internet access for qualifying limited income households at $10 a month through our Access from AT&T program. They’ve expanded eligibility to Access from AT&T to households participating in the National School Lunch Program and Head Start.

SMALL BUSINESSES, PRIVATE NONPROFITS, AND LANDLORDS

TOURISM HELP HUB – VISIT ORLANDO: A “Tourism Help Hub” is now available on the Visit Orlando website and contains relevant news and resources for individuals and businesses in need. The Tourism Help Hub features information on financial relief resources, food assistance, employment opportunities and special offers for healthcare workers and first responders.

To assist with business planning, the hub will also provide access to Visit Orlando’s industry insights, webinars and opportunities to join campaigns helping to keep Orlando top of mind with consumers. For questions or suggestions, email memberrelations@visitorlando.com

The Orlando Economic Partnership is launching a new, free service program to further help local small businesses navigate the many assistance programs that are available to help them during this crisis. The new service, called BRACE, stands for Business Recovery Assistance and Collaborative Engagement and will ensure that businesses are in touch with the proper resources for their unique needs as soon as possible to receive relief and further help their employees. Visit BRACEOrlando.org for details info.

CARES Act Funding for Small Businesses: Orange County’s Small Business Grant Program will invest approximately $72.9 million into Orange County small businesses to help them recover from temporary loss of revenue due to COVID-19.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (EIDL): This particular program is no longer available. Please see other SBA funding programs available here.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan provides vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan and loan advance, click here.

SBA: Connect with your local SBA District Office to find options that may assist you.

Rebuild Florida Business Loan Fund: Apply on the website. If you have previously applied, check your application status at http://floridajobs.org/rebuildflorida/businessrecovery

Short Time Compensation Program for Employers: The Short Time Compensation program helps employers retain their workforce in times of temporary slowdown by encouraging work sharing as an alternative to layoff. The program permits prorated reemployment assistance benefits to employees whose work hours and earnings are reduced as part of a Short Time Compensation plan to avoid total layoff of some employees.

Faith-Based Organizations: Click here for Frequently Asked Questions for Faith-Based Organizations Participating in the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

Orange County has fully activated ESF 18 – Economic Resiliency and Community and it is being staffed by six employees who can be reached at 407-254-8833 or esf18@ocfl.net. They can respond to business inquiries about the following topics:

Employment and re-employment
Funding sources for businesses
Orange County Executive Orders
Health and safety of employees

SCHOOLS

To learn what schools are doing please visit https://www.ocps.net/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Heart of Florida United Way is a free service that connects residents to critical health and social service resources. The 2-1-1 helpline is currently open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our office will remain open and ready to assist our residents as we all try to stay safe and healthy during this time. For further assistance please email us at District5@ocfl.net

Stay informed with the latest developments and updates from Orange County Government by clicking on the following link: https://www.ocfl.net/CoronavirusUpdates

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Harbor House of Central Florida: This nonprofit provides emergency shelter for families in crisis, as well as counseling, legal advocacy and other services. Pets accepted.

24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 407-886-2856 Email: contactus@harborhousefl.com

SafeHouse of Seminole: Provides emergency shelter, personal and legal advocacy, counseling services, crisis intervention, and youth and community prevention education, among other services. 24 Hour Hotline: 407-330-3933

Victim Service Center: This certified rape crisis center in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties serves victims of sexual assault, violent crime and traumatic circumstances through free and confidential crisis intervention, therapy, advocacy and outreach. For victims of any type of trauma, Victim Service Center provides confidential care. Modifications have been made due to COVID-19, but most programming is still available. 24 Hour Hotline: 407-500-4325 Text (8:00 AM-5:00 PM): 407-497-6701

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness. 1-800-273-8255