1     Approval to submit a grant application to Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016/17 funding in the approximate amount of $25,000 for Identification Assistance through the City’s Homeless Outreach Program

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust was created by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners to, among other things, oversee the use of the Food and Beverage Tax and other funds and to establish and implement policies based on the Miami-Dade County Community Homeless Plan.  The Plan is a comprehensive continuum of care system to serve homeless persons in Miami-Dade County. The Homeless Trust also has Identification Assistance funding available to provide assistance in obtaining identification and other personal documents on behalf of homeless individuals and families in Miami-Dade County.  The funds will be used to cover the cost of administering this program, and related costs or fees associated with obtaining or replacing documents utilized to establish identification, such as Florida identification cards, birth certificates, marriage certificates, school records, lawful permanent resident cards, naturalization certificates and Florida driver’s licenses. Vital personal identification documents and official photo identification are necessary for obtaining employment and housing.  Providing this service will help homeless individuals to become self-sufficient, and the Identification Assistance service is part of the City’s current Homeless Outreach Program.  The grant will provide funding in the amount of $25,000.   The grant does not require matching funds.

2    Approval to submit a grant application to Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016/17 in the approximate amount of $25,000 for the City’s hotel/motel placement and HMIS staffing program.

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust was created by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners to, among other things, oversee the use of the Food and Beverage Tax and other funds and in this regard to establish and implement policies based on the Miami-Dade County Community Homeless Plan (The Plan).  The Plan is a comprehensive continuum of care system to serve homeless persons in Miami–Dade County.  Funds are available for short-term hotel placement for homeless families and individuals who cannot be placed in emergency shelter due to capacity issues.  This program also provides funding for food vouchers for families while residing in placements, if food arrangements or other resources are unavailable.  Additionally, the grant will partially cover the cost of salaries for staff to enter required information into the County-required Hotel Motel Information System (HMIS) system.  The grant will provide funding in the amount of $25,000 and matching funds are not required.   

Based on the aforestated analysis, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission adopt the Resolution to apply for, accept and appropriate funds for the abovementioned grants and funding agreements.