Behind on rent because of COVID-19 pandemic? Dade is offering to pay it. Here’s how to apply
Miami-Dade residents struggling to pay rent during the pandemic can now apply for the county’s emergency rental assistance program.
Applications went live Monday and can be found at http://www.miamidade. gov/global/housing/ emergency-rentalassistance-program.page.
Tenants apply for the relief, and if approved, the rent payment will be mailed directly to their landlords. Landlords can also refer their tenants to the program. Case workers hired by the county will contact the renters to start the application process.
People who live anywhere in Miami-Dade County, with the exception of Miami and Hialeah, can apply as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. Miami and Hialeah have rebeen ceived separate funding from the federal government.
The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 15.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Miami-Dade County residents, with the exception of Miami and Hialeah residents, who meet the following criteria can apply:
Unable to pay full rent because of a financial hardship caused by COVID-19 such as losing a job.
Household income does not exceed 80% of the annual area median income for Miami-Dade County. A one-person household’s maximum area median income, for example, is $51,200, and a fourperson household’s is $73,100.
There must be an executed lease between the renter and the property owner or landlord.
You must certify that the rent relief will not be used for costs that have or will be reimbursed by other government rental assistance programs related to COVID-19, or monthly federal housing programs.
Anyone who received rent relief through the county’s previous emergency rental assistance programs can apply for this round.
HOW TO APPLY
The county recommends people apply online instead of in person to avoid the risk of the application getting lost or missing pages.
To apply online, visit http://www.miamidade. gov/global/housing/ emergency-rentalassistance-program.page. If you’re on a desktop or laptop, look to the upper right-hand corner for a blue “Apply Online” button.
Those who don’t have access to the Internet can also pick up and drop off applications at four drivethrough locations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. And remember, deadline to apply online or in-person is March 15 at 5 p.m.
Victory Homes, 520 NW 75th St.
Donn Gardens, 1861 NW 28th St.
Homestead Gardens, 1542 SW Fourth St.
Lakeside Towers, 7555 SW 152nd Ave.
WHICH DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED?
Once your application is processed and your eligibility is confirmed, a county employee will contact you about submitting documents. A list of required documents can be found on the application. Originals will not be accepted, so make copies.
For tenants, some of the required documents will include showing proof of how COVID has affected you financially (Example: layoff letter or unemployment claim), a copy of your current lease, a current government issued photo ID for all household members (Example: driver’s license, passport) and proof of current income for all household members.
For landlords, it includes presenting a W-9 form and signing an agreement with the county accepting the rent assistance.
You’ll have 48 hours to submit the requested documents by email to your case manager or by dropping it off at one of the previously mentioned drive-through locations, according to the program’s FAQ guide. The county recommends sending the documents by email. All emails must include the name of the applicant and the application number.
Another thing to keep in mind: If your landlord doesn’t want to participate in the program, your application will not be processed. If this situation comes up, the county says it will try to get landlords and tenants to “work together to resolve problems” and will also notify tenants of landlords who are not
cooperating.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I WILL GET RENT RELIEF?
Tenants will be notified via email whether or not they were approved, with approvals set to be finalized no later than the end of August, according to the county. This could take longer depending on how many applications were received.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. WHAT IS THE CONTACT?
Tenants can contact the Miami-Dade County Department of Public Housing and Community Development by calling 305-7231815 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. You can also email questions to ERAP@miamidade.gov.
Landlords can email LandlordsERAP@miamidade.gov or call 786-6882440.
The arrest of Paul Nicholas Miller by FBI agents at his Fort Lauderdale home Tuesday morning on a pedestrian charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon seems a minor thing for the feds to make a point of announcing.
Until, that is, it’s noted that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was part of the arresting team, along with FBI agents and Fort Lauderdale police officers. Also, the Anti-Defamation
League considers Paul Miller “a volatile white supremacist-accelerationist.”
The 32-year-old Miller, convicted on drug manufacturing/distribution charges in 2007 and 2009 according to New Jersey records, is looking at a maximum of 10 years on the new charge.
The indictment says the gun possession happened in 2018. Miller had been living in the 1300 block of Southwest Sixth Street.
At his first appearance Wednesday, Miller told Magistrate Judge Lurana Snow he had enough money to hire his own attorney.
Snow set the bond hearing for Friday morning to allow that attorney to represent Miller.
Federal prosecutor Kiran Bhat said he will ask the judge to detain Miller before trial on the gun possession charge, claiming the white supremacist is a danger to the community.
At the end of Wednesday’s brief hearing, Miller said to Snow, “I’m really sorry for all of this. I really am,” without specifying the reason for his apology.
The Daily Beast reported that Miller’s arrest brought a new level of anxiety to his fellow racists who bond online. They worried that the FBI soon would be coming for them, especially the ones who bought patches from Miller that promoted his Telegram channel.
Miller was described Wednesday by federal law enforcement as an extreme white supremacist, but he is not suspected of having any connection to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, several sources said.
He was described as a “KKKish guy,” as one source put it.
On Twitter, the AntiDefamation League said, “Several months ago, ADL’s Center on Extremism identified Paul Miller as a volatile white supremacist-accelerationist. COE tracked him to Fort Lauderdale and shared significant intelligence with federal law enforcement” before the arrest.
Miller is on Telegram as GypsyCrusader, a self-described “investigative journalist” with “News for Patriots Christians and God loving Americans.”
His 42,300 followers get videos of Miller dressed as one of the Mario Bros. of video game fame, the comic book villain The Joker, various posts with swastikas and racial slurs against
Black men and women and Jewish men and women.