Ryan Marin – Staff Writer
The federally funded Cares Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund has provided relief for students who need financial assistance due to the impact of Covid-19. The funding can be used for costs related to attending college, such as tuition, fees, books, and a computer, or for personal living expenses like housing, food, transportation, childcare and healthcare.
This relief program has aided thousands of students and allowed them to receive an education during these troubled times.
According to Broward College’s website, from April 1 to June 30, 2021 Broward College distributed $10,575,207 to students. As of June 30, 18,439 students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant.
One way the college has distributed this funding is by giving Students $750 if they were Pell Grant eligible, and $500 if they were not.
Another way this money is distributed is through students completing an application. All that is needed to apply for the grant is to be currently enrolled and to fill out a short two question application to indicate that the student is in immediate need of assistance. If you want to apply, you can go to this link: https://students.broward.edu/resources/emergency-aid/
“We are constantly searching for new ways to support our students in their pursuit of education,” said Tara Jones, Associate Vice President of Student Financial Services. “These funds, provided to Broward College through the federal higher education emergency relief program, offer immediate financial assistance to our students to assist in whatever way each one needs at the moment to get them through their immediate challenge.”
Besides the Cares Act, there are other ways to find financial aid and assistance. On Broward College’s website, there is a scholarship application to find other scholarships at https://www.broward.edu/admissions/ financial-aid/scholarships/. Students are also encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/ to ensure they are considered for all potential aid that they are eligible to receive.
Other relief programs are also available, such as broadband assistance. Students can get up to $50 per month through providers participating in the federal broadband assistance program such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, etc. and apply directly with them for assistance. Students with children can also file for the childcare program grant using this link: https://www.broward.edu/ac- ademics/education/ccampis. html
“Broward College cares about our students holistically. We want our students to thrive academically, of course, but we also care about their basic needs such as housing, food, transportation and childcare,” said Jones. “We want our students to experience as much day-to-day stability as possible while preparing for their future careers.”