LTC 283-2020 Change in Vendor for Tranche 3 Rent Assistance ServicesDocuSign Envelope ID: 030404 CA-64CC-45C6-8A\93-66FA04F 5F4B9
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO . LTC#
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
283-2020 LETTER TO COMMISSION
Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
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August 13, 2020
Change in Vendor for Tranche 3 Rent Assistance Services
The purpose of this Letter To Commission is to notify the Mayor and Commission that Citrus
Health/ HAND Netw ork, the provider recommended to assist the City with tranche 3 rent
assistance has advised that it cannot undertake the dissemination of City funds at this time.
At the July 29 City Commission meeting, the Mayor and Commission approved up to $330,000
fro m the City's General Reserve Funds to provide rent, mortgage and utilities assistance for
qualified residents adversely impacted by COVID-19. The Commission's directive was to ensure
access to as broad a resident base as possible including those households which were deemed
ineligible for funds in Tranches 1 and 2. Finally, the goal will be to pursue reimbursement for these
funds in hopes of returning them to the City's reserves.
At the time, the Administration recommended contracting Citrus Health Network which operates
the Housing Assistance Network of Dade (HAND). Citrus Health/HAND was contracted by Miami-
Dade County and the City of Hialeah to provide COVID rent assistance to the broadest reach of
residents possible. Subsequently, Citrus Health advised that it has encountered several problems
in its service efforts with the County and Hialeah that was impairing its capacity to take on any
new contracts.
As such, the Administration reached out to HOPE in Miami-Dade, Inc. (HOPE), a non-profit
501 ( c)3 agency, which is currently contracted by the City to provide homeless employment
services. HOPE's homeless services were suspended in March as a result of COVID. HOPE is
prepared to provide the needed staffing and locate its intake services within the City to expedite
processing rent assistance claims and create a seamless support structure with City staff who
have been working with many of the households that will be served in tranche 3. Once the
agreement is executed, HOPE will begin providing rent assistance immediately with the goal of
ram ping up programming efforts prior to September 1s,
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to see me or Maria Ruiz, Department
Director, Office of Housing and Community Services.
JLM/AH/M~