District 6 Update

Women in Leadership Award

On April 21st, I accepted the prestigious Executive Women of the Palm Beaches' 2022 Women in Leadership Award in the Public Sector. It's an incredible honor to be recognized for my efforts to mentor and empower women. My mission in life has been to serve my community and stand for those who need a voice, particularly women, children, and families. I had the great fortune of being mentored by strong, dedicated women early in my career, and it's been one of my great joys to return the favor to the next generation of women leaders who will shape our community for years to come.

FINFROCK Visit

On April 18th, I visited the FINFROCK site in Belle Glade. It was a great opportunity to see the building's construction progress. FINFROCK is a shining example of our efforts to promote the Glades as a destination for new businesses, diversify the economy, and create jobs.

Pictured (l-r): Belle Glade Mayor Steve Wilson, Commissioner McKinlay, CEO Allen Finfrock, and Chairman of the Board Robert Finfrock.

Second Chance Event

I'm excited to share that I have partnered with the Florida Justice Center for a Second Chance Event on Saturday, April 30th, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Belle Glade Civic Center.

This event will bring together dozens of community groups, volunteer attorneys, and employers looking to hire people with felony arrest records to provide second chances to those who need them most.

Often times the biggest roadblock to normalcy for a person is their court record. Expunging those records in certain nonviolent cases can be an expensive and tedious process. The Florida Justice Center's event in the Glades comes at the perfect time as new jobs flow into the area. Giving people a second chance to care for themselves and their families is the goal here, and I'm happy to support it.

For more information, call 954-758-7555.

Rachael Bonlarron/West Palm 100 Scholarship - Deadline May 15th

"This scholarship is designed to support young women who are committed to their education, their community and their careers. Students completing their senior year and who will be attending either Palm Beach State College or Florida Atlantic University are the focus of this scholarship. We are looking for students who are planning to continue their education while working to help financially support themselves through school by working part time. West Palm 100 understands the challenges this creates for students and that is why we are committed to supporting those students who are most dedicated to continuing their education while working to financially support those efforts."

For additional details on this $500 scholarship, including eligibility criteria, visit here.

Back to School PBC!

Registration is open for the 2022 Back to School PBC! Event. Back to School PBC! will be held on Saturday, July 30 at different locations throughout the county to be announced at a later date.

Registration is mandatory to participate in this event. Students must reside in designated neighborhoods or mobile home parks in unincorporated Palm Beach County to be eligible to register.

Please register online here and enter code PBCOCR for students to receive free school supplies and backpacks. Depending on the location and resource availability, participating students may also receive free food, haircuts, sneakers, socks, school uniforms, biometric health screenings, vision screening, blood tests, hearing tests, and other health-related resources. Several service agencies will be at hand to provide resources to participating students and their families. Registration closes on Sunday, May 15. 

An invitation will be sent two weeks prior to the event by email or regular mail to the address provided in the registration with the event’s location and time to attend. All efforts will be made to ensure that students are assigned to attend the event at a location which is closest to their home.

For more information, please contact the Office of Community Revitalization at ocrnews@pbcgov.org

Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Assistance

Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation assistance funding is available f income eligible homeowners, residing in the unincorporated area of Palm Beach County, with substantial rehabilitation to correct code violations or items that will become a code violation. NOTE: Applicant must provide a statement on how their household was financially impacted by COVID. PROPERTY’S ASSESSED VALUE CANNOT EXCEED $352,371.

ARPA Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program applications will be available online by visiting the website at https://pbcgov.com/HED beginning Monday, April 11, 2022 at 8:00 am – Friday, May 13, 2022 at 11:59 pm (or until 70 applications have been submitted). Applications will be processed on a first submitted, first qualified, first served basis, subject to funding availability.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: ALL applicants are required to attend a Virtual Mandatory Orientation prior to application submittal. Interested parties may register at https://survey.pbcgov.com/s3/HED-Owner-Occupied-Housing-Rehabilitation. 

For additional information, please contact:

Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development

Mortgage and Housing Investments Division

Telephone: (561) 233-3600

Email: HEDverify@pbcgov.org

In Closing

For rental assistance, click here: Emergency Rental Assistance Program