More than 400 homeless people, or people at risk of becoming homeless, lined up Monday and Tuesday at Osceola County's government complex in Kissimmee to seek monetary help from $2 million in federal funds.

Osceola County, which received the $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing and Family Services of Metro Orlando, opened its application window Tuesday morning.

Two hundred applications were made available on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The limited amount prompted some people to arrive at the county’s government complex on Beaumont Avenue as early as 4:45 p.m. the day before.

“There wasn’t a person in that line that didn’t deserve this,” Social Services Manager Natalie Mullett said. “There’s a great need for it in this community.”

Poinciana resident Melissa Alle was one of the hundreds in line waiting to fill out an application. She lined up at midnight, when a crowd of about 40 had already gathered.

Alle and her family of five were left without a home after the duplex they rented went into foreclosure. Her landlord didn’t tell them until the bank seized the property and told the family to move elsewhere, she said. Shortly after, she and her husband were left jobless. Since May, they’ve been homeless, living with friends whenever they can.

“We were doing fine, then we were laid off a week apart in May,” she said. “It was pretty much a domino effect.”

Despite long lines and rowdy crowds, Alle said she was willing to wait for the chance to help get her family back on its feet.

“Even if it’s just two months of help, it’d be a blessing,” Alle said. “You never know how hard it is until you get into this predicament.”

If she’s selected, Alle will be eligible for different types of assistance, including short-term rental assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services. Recipients also could receive credit counseling, case management and assistance with security or utility deposits, utility payments and moving costs.

Families who applied for the program will be able to check on their waiting list status beginning Tuesday, on the county’s Web site, Mullett said, adding that the county would begin to roll out funds in 30 to 45 days.

Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program will provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and to help find housing for those who are homeless due to foreclosure and the economic downturn.

On Tuesday morning, a portion of the line, which stretched past the Human Services building at the government complex, became rowdy when arguments broke out between groups of people that had been standing in line the night before and people who were arriving minutes before the applications were to be handed out.

Still, Mullett said, the crowd was calmer than expected.

“People were very polite,” she said.