North Miami – On Tuesday, May 12 during the City’s Virtual Regular Council Meeting, the North Miami City Council unanimously approved $250,000, in funding to assist Coronavirus/COVID-19 affected residential customers to pay their City water bills.
Funding will be available on a first come, first served basis through the City’s Emergency Utility Assistance Program (EUAP).
The City established the EUAP in November 2017, to assist qualifying City residents, based on needs, with their City of North Miami water utility bill.
North Miami Low Income Home Utility Assistance Foundation
To administer the program, the City created the North Miami Low Income Home Utility Assistance Foundation. Funding was allocated to the foundation and customers will be evaluated for funding eligibility by the City of North Miami Housing and Social Services Department.
In addition to these resources, more programs are under consideration to address the needs of our community.
Programs such as $452,692 in emergency funding from HUD was provided to the City of North Miami for additional COVID-19 relief efforts.
Renters Assistance Program
Also during the virtual North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (NMCRA) board meeting, the NMCRA Commissioners approved a New Renters Assistance Program.
The NMCRA allocated $1,000,000 to the program, which will assist qualified North Miami residents with up to two months’ rent. Only residents within the North Miami CRA boundaries can apply for assistance.
The application will be available by emailing [email protected]. Paper applications can be picked up in-person at the Joe Celestin Center in North Miami. Applications are due Friday, May 29th and applicants will be selected via a lottery system.
Emergency Relief For Businesses
The Board also approved additional funding for another 120 businesses (240 total) to receive the Emergency Relief to Jump Start Businesses, a program providing grants up to $5,000 to businesses within the North Miami CRA to revitalize their operations once the emergency declaration has been lifted.
“During tough economic times such as these, along with growing health concerns, our residents need us for than ever, to act on their best interest. Many North Miami residents are unemployed, in need of food and cannot afford to pay their utilities. With these issues in mind, my colleagues and I collectively approved funding to provide assistance through both the City and North Miami CRA to assist our residents and businesses. This deadly virus is still spreading and we must all be vigilant, practice social distancing and take extra safety precautions, while we slowly return to normal activities. When this is all over, our community will come out of this situation, still NoMi Strong,” said Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime.
