The Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2.3 has officially launched in Miami-Dade in an effort to assist residents struggling to make ends meet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program provides rental payment assistance for up to 12 months in arrears, if you meet certain income qualifications.
"Being unemployed it’s been difficult, it’s been challenging and the most challenging thing has been being able to keep up with the rent," said Felicia Reed, who applied for the program.
To be eligible, you must be a resident of Miami-Dade County and be unable to pay your full rent as a result of financial hardship caused by the pandemic. Your current household income must also not exceed 80% of the annual Area Median Income for Miami-Dade County.
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"The biggest requirements are around income, so for example, an average family of four would need to make about $70,000 or less in order to qualify," said Marta Viciedo with AXIS Helps South Florida.
To see if your household qualifies: click here.
There must be an executed lease between you and the property owner or landlord and you must also ensure that your household does not receive any other subsidy that is not wholly covered by a subsidized housing program.
All applicants are also required to provide documentation along with their application:
- Proof of being financially impacted by the COVID-19
- Your current lease or pages of current lease showing the home address, amount of lease rent, term of lease or if your lease is on a month-to-month basis, and signature of you and your landlord
- Government issued photo ID for all household members
- Proof of current income for all household members
Property owners and landlords must also provide documentation such as an owner W-9 form and an agreement that the County will provide to landlords accepting rental assistance containing certain program conditions.
Local
You can print out an application in English, Spanish or Kreyol or pick one up at one of the following locations:
Northern Miami-Dade County
Victory Homes - 520 NW 75 Street
Central Miami-Dade County
Donn Gardens - 1861 NW 28 Street
Southern Miami-Dade County
Homestead Gardens - 1542 SW 4 Street
West Miami-Dade County
Lakeside Towers - 7555 SW 152 Avenue
All applications can be dropped off at any of these locations. They will not, however, be accepted via email.
For more information on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2.3: click here.
"At the beginning of January 2020 our unemployment rate at the county was under 2%. By July 2020 that unemployment rate had ballooned to over 14%. Now we’ve recovered a bit since then. We’re at about 8% unemployment rate but that still means that thousands, if not tens of thousands of residents have fallen behind on their rent," Viciedo said.
