GIBSONTON, Fla. — As homeowners repair their properties from damages left behind from back-to-back hurricanes, some are seeking help to pay next month’s rent.

What You Need To Know

  •  Gibsonton resident Hernan Ara says he's concerned about paying his rent after his home was damaged in Hurricanes Helene and Milton

  •  He says he's been late on his payments, even though his landlords have waived fees for late payments

  • In the weeks after the hurricanes, he’s had to purchase materials to fix his home, which he says have not been cheap

That’s the case for one South Hillsborough County resident, who says he’s been left without a job and is on his own to make repairs.

“This is all the payments I have made and future ones I have to make,” Hernan Ara said, showing the payment schedule on his phone.

He’s struggling to catch up because his home was badly damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. While Ara rents the land, he owns his home, so paying for repairs is his responsibility.

In the weeks after the hurricanes, he’s had to purchase materials to fix his home, which he says aren’t cheap. He’s also dealing with having to find a job, which is putting additional financial strain on his situation.

“Yesterday, we went to go find some metal sheets that we’re used, and those metal sheets were around $300,” Ara said. “Everything is really pricey to try to repair my home.”

Ara, who is originally from Venezuela, has only been living here for two years.

He said when he moved into his home, he had to make a lot of repairs — and now he’s having to do it again. 

He said that the night of Helene, the water rose so high that he and a few of his neighbors had to leave in the middle of the night.

For Milton, he said they didn’t stay, and when he came back, he found his roof had been damaged.

“I have been working on repairing my home for these past two weeks because this was completely destroyed,” he said.

He said some days are more stressful than others, but his landlord is working with everyone in this mobile home park, and has waived late rental fees.

Ara said he’s even working to set up a payment plan to help him catch up. Although he’s having to start from zero, Ara said his faith is what’s keeping him going.

“There is a God, and I know he will provide,” he said. “We just have to have faith, and he will help us reconstruct our homes and our lives.”