Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) is available for eligible Hillsborough County residents displaced by Hurricanes Helene or Milton
Hillsborough County residents who have applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to stay temporarily in a hotel or motel paid for by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA applicants do not need to request this assistance. FEMA will notify them of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message, and/or email, depending upon the method of communication selected at the time of application for disaster assistance.
Applicants may be eligible if they cannot return to their disaster-damaged home and their housing needs cannot be met by insurance, shelters, or rental assistance provided by FEMA or another agency.
TSA expenses
FEMA pays the cost of:
- Room and taxes
- Non-refundable pet fees directly to participating hotels and motels. Pet fees will only be paid up to the approved limit of assistance for individual rooms.
Eligible participants in the sheltering program are responsible for incidental costs such as:
- Laundry
- Restaurant/room service
- Parking
- Telephone
- Movie rental
Continued eligibility is determined on an individual basis. When eligibility ends, survivors will be notified by FEMA seven days prior to their checkout date.
TSA is limited to participating hotels and motels in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Applicants must refer to the TSA Locator to find a hotel at DisasterAssistance.gov.
TSA participants may also be eligible for other FEMA financial help, including Displacement Assistance, Rental Assistance, Home Repair Assistance and other aspects of the Individual Assistance program.
For more information on storm recovery resources, visit HCFL.gov/StormRecovery.
Applying for FEMA assistance
- Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov
- Use the FEMA mobile App
- Call FEMA’s helpline toll-free at (800) 621-3362. Lines are open daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (in your time zone), seven days a week. Help is available in most languages.
If you choose to apply by phone, please understand calls to FEMA’s helpline are experiencing delays because of the increased volume due to multiple recent disasters. The fastest way to apply is online or through the FEMA App.