Orange County is adding financial stability resources to the local emergency response plan.
Orange County recently announced that the national nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) selected the Central Florida county to receive funding and technical support to enhance local emergency preparedness and response plans by incorporating financial empowerment services for residents.
Orange County received a $150,000 CFE Fund grant to integrate financial empowerment services, which could include pre-disaster financial counseling to post-disaster assistance navigating federal aid applications into existing support services. The CFE Fund’s Emergency Financial Empowerment (EFE) initiative provides local governments across the country with grant dollars and technical assistance to build and expand their emergency preparedness and response infrastructure to support individual and family financial needs.
“Orange County is proud to partner with the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund to strengthen how we support residents before, during, and after emergencies,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. “This investment allows us to integrate financial empowerment services into our emergency management efforts, ensuring Orange County families have the tools and resources they need to remain stable and recover quickly when challenges arise.”
Natural and man-made disasters, public health crises, and localized emergencies can significantly disrupt residents’ financial stability often leading to long-term consequences. At the same time, individuals and families must navigate complex systems access resources. A household’s financial position before a disaster also plays a critical role in its ability to secure relief and recover when emergencies occur.
“By empowering residents with financial education, communities become more resilient and better prepared to withstand and recover from unexpected events,” said Division Chief Lauraleigh Avery, Emergency Manager.
Orange County is the most populated county in the Central Florida region with 13 towns and cities within its borders, including: Apopka, Bay Lake, Belle Isle, Eatonville, Edgewood, Lake Buena Vista, Maitland, Oakland, Ocoee, Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park.
“The CFE Fund is thrilled to partner with Orange County to connect financial empowerment to disaster preparedness and response, supporting residents’ financial stability during emergencies,” said Jonathan Mintz, president and CEO of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. “Financial stability is a critical component of emergency preparedness and response, and we applaud Orange County’s investment in this important work to help residents better prepare for and recover from unexpected disasters.”
