Broward opens 3 in-person rental assistance centers

Broward County has opened three in-person centers to help past-due tenants apply for emergency rental assistance money, while Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, as well as a statewide program, continue to accept applications.

Tenants who have staved off eviction because they suffered a financial hardship just got another reprieve from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which extended its eviction moratorium another month, through the end of July. It will be the last extension, the CDC said.

Federal assistance money is available to pay up to 100% of past-due rent dating back to March 2020, and up to three months of future assistance for tenants still experiencing financial hardship. Assistance is also available to help pay past-due utility bills.

Applicants must demonstrate that they experienced financial hardship during the pandemic and are at risk of eviction and homelessness. To qualify, their household income must be at or below 80% of their area’s median income.

Documentation required to prove eligibility is detailed at the counties’ assistance websites or at the in-person assistance centers.

So far, Broward County has issued payments averaging $10,033 to 239 applicants.

More than 16,000 applications have been initiated or submitted through the county’s assistance website.

Broward County tenants seeking help before the moratorium ends can apply at broward.org/rentassistance or by calling 800-2040557 to get an appointment to visit one of three assistance centers:

Housing Foundation of America, 2400 N. University Drive, Suite 200, Pembroke Pines.

Housing Foundation of America, 1773 N. State Road 7, Suite 101-D, Lauderhill.

Crisis Housing Solutions (at the Northwest Family Success Center), 10077 NW 29th St., Coral Springs.

Palm Beach County has approved payments to 2,538

applicants for rental assistance and 1,697 for utility payments. Average payments were not available. Another 1,950 applications await additional documentation.

Tenants in Palm Beach County can get personal assistance at county library branches in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Glades Road

branch in Boca Raton, Belle Glade, Loxahatchee, Royal Palm Beach and Greenacres. Personal assistance will be available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. No appointments are necessary.

To apply online or get information about additional assistance locations, go to rentalassistancepbc. org. For more information, call 561-355-4792.

In Miami-Dade County, applications are being accepted online at miamidade.gov/global/housing/ emergency-rental-assistance-program through 5 p.m. June 25. More information is available by calling 305-723-1815 or by sending an email to ERAP@miamidade.gov. Payments tallies for Miami-Dade applicants were not immediately available.

In addition, the Florida Department of Children and Families is accepting rental assistance applications from tenants and landlords through its website, OURFlorida.com. Applicants without access to the internet can apply by phone by calling 833-493-0594.