A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCY COMMITTEE TO APPROPRIATE AN ADDITIONAL $200,000 FROM THE REMAINING BALANCE ($370,000) OF THE ORIGINAL $700,000 SET ASIDE FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO ADDRESS COVID-19 RELATED MATTERS, SUBJECT TO BUDGETARY APPROVAL AS A FY 2020- 2021 EXPENSE; SAID ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO BE EARMARKED FOR RENT, MORTGAGE AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE FOR QUALIFYING MIAMI BEACH HOUSEHOLDS WHO HAVE BEEN ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY COVID-19. 

The Administration recommends committing the additional $200,000 for rent/mortgage/utility assistance to serve resident households earning up to 120 percent Area Median Income adversely impacted by COVID-19 with no more than six months’ total assistance.

The City undertook a rent/mortgage/utility assistance program to assist residents adversely impacted by COVID-19. The City utilized a combination of funds to create a pool of more than $1.8 million including:

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG & CDBG-CV3)
• HOME Investment Partnership (HOME)
• Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF)
• General Fund (GF)
• Miami-Dade County CARES (CARES)
• Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP Phases 36 and 37 & EFSP CARES)

At its June 12, 2020 meeting, the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (FERC) discussed the demand for rent assistance services in the community and acknowledged that the need was greater than what could be met with the funds allocated in Tranches 1 and 2 through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds. As such, the Committee recommended that up to $700,000 in General Reserve Funds be set aside for potential use to address the pressing need for rent assistance. However, the Committee requested that only $330,000 of these funds be released at this time – a number equivalent to the value allocated in the two prior tranches of rent assistance. Furthermore, the Committee emphasized the desire that, if possible, these funds be reimbursed through other sources such as CARES funds from Miami-Dade County. As such, staff has ensured that documentation standards for all funds used to provide COVID relief would meet the federal threshold in the event the City could pursue reimbursement for these funds.

At its March 26, 2021 meeting, FERC voted unanimously to appropriate an additional $200,000 from the $700,000 initially set aside for COVID response service to expand the rent/mortgage/utility assistance program as demand for these support services remains as the economy has been slow to rebound for some sectors.

Currently, the City is processing assistance requests utilizing CDBG-CV3, EFSP Phase 37 and EFSP CARES funds. The City is receiving an average of five (5) new requests for rent/mortgage/utility assistance daily. These requests are averaging $3,247 per household and existing funds were projected to be expended in April. While the City continues to receive requests for assistance from new households, it has seen an increase in requests from assistance for previously-assisted households. About a third of current applicants have received prior assistance which was capped at six (6) months’ help under federal rules. Under CDBG guidelines, rent maximum are for six contiguous months. EFSP programs only allow for one month’s assistance.

FERC moved the recommendation that $200,000 from the initial $700,000 set aside be programmed for ongoing rent/mortgage/utility assistance to augment the remaining federal funds available. These funds are expected to provide an additional two months’ of assistance. As demand for rent/mortgage/utility assistance evolves with the economy and a variety of assistance exists throughout the broader community, the City’s rent program is proposed to be capped at six months’ assistance to ensure the ability to serve the broadest number of resident households possible. More so, since federal funds are capped at only 80 percent Area Median Income (AMI), the City’s funds will serve households earning up to 120 percent AMI to serve as broad a  swath of families impacted by the pandemic. In addition, the City has submitted an application for additional rent/mortgage/utility funds through an open and competitive grant program of CDBG-CV funds administered by the State. The City expects to know if it is awarded funds by June 2021.

The Administration recommends committing the additional $200,000 for rent/mortgage/utility assistance to serve resident households earning up to 120 percent Area Median Income adversely impacted by COVID-19 with no more than six months’ total assistance.