Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich.
Dear Constituents:
Broward County has allocated $25 million in federal CARES funding for a program that will help residents pay portions of unpaid rent for April, May, June, July, and August 2020.
These rental assistance funds are not a loan, and they do not have to be paid back. Residents must be able to show a documented loss or reduction in income due to the pandemic, and the inability to pay rent. Broward’s Family Success Division is managing the application process and will approve and distribute funds.
Applications are being accepted August 31 through September 6, 2020, from 8 AM to 10 PM daily.
The application must be completed in one sitting and cannot be partially completed, saved, or returned to later.
Assistance equates to a partial payment of rent. For months one and two of the owed rent amount, the rental assistance program will pay, and the landlord must agree to 75% of the amount due. For months three, four, and five of rent assistance, the program will pay, and the landlord must agree to 60% of the amount due. Late fees, if any, will not be covered by the program.
Payments are made to landlords; therefore, if a landlord is unwilling to complete the documents, the tenant will not be eligible for assistance.
Visit broward.org/CARES for eligibility and application requirements and to apply. Only online applications are accepted.
You are eligible to receive funds if you meet the following requirements:
- You or someone in your household experienced a documented loss or reduction in income related to Covid-19.
- Due to the loss of income related to Covid-19, you were unable to pay your rent.
- You are a resident of Broward County.
- Your landlord agrees to participate.
You are not eligible to receive funds if:
- Your loss of income was NOT related to Covid-19.
- You are not a Broward County resident.
- The household had enough funds to pay rent but chose not to
Questions? Call 954-831-2380
If you or someone you know feels that they have been the target of illegal eviction, act quickly to make a case that failure to pay was related to a Covid-19 hardship. Under state law, tenants who want to fight their eviction are provided only five business days to file a response. They are also required to post a bond with the court for the entire amount of unpaid rent before they can even get a court hearing. Ideally, tenants should secure a private attorney’s services or, if they can’t afford one, reach out to one of the free nonprofit Legal Aid services to seek help from a volunteer attorney.
In Broward County, Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida and its sister organization, Legal Aid Service of Broward County, have received nearly $1 million in federal funds to work specifically on COVID-related issues to help. The money will help affected consumers in fighting evictions, foreclosures, unemployment claims, and domestic violence cases, plus helping clients find rental assistance, food banks, child care, and other aid.
In August, Broward County launched a countywide campaign, encouraging all employers, large and small, to dedicate 10-15 minutes to complete the 2020 Census during their workday. Broward County partnered with Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the Broward Workshop, CareerSource, and other community business partners in the SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR BROWARD campaign. View Participating Businesses
The campaign was so successful at helping increase Broward’s self-response rate it is being continued through the final day of the Census, which is September 30.
The decennial census is crucial to our democracy and fair representation in Congress. It helps to determine how more than $1.5 trillion/year in federal funds are distributed. An undercount in Broward would mean losing millions of dollars for schools and nutrition programs, hospitals and nursing homes, roads and highways, emergency preparedness, social services, and other vital programs for the next 10 years.
The 2020 Census’ detailed demographic information holds exceptional value to businesses—it helps inform decisions to expand, develop products, market, hire, mitigate risk, and increase return on investment.
Help us reach 100% participation by supporting the County’s efforts to count everyone in Broward – from newborns to older adults and everyone in between. Pledge to complete the 2020 Census by September 30.
*Participating businesses will be featured on Broward County’s social media and/or website.
To contact a legal aid organization in South Florida, go to:
Legal Aid Service of Broward County — browardlegalaid.org, 954-765-8950.
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida — coasttocoastlegalaid.org, 954-736-2400
To respond to the census now, visit: my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020.
To pledge, please e-mail us the name of your business or organization and the number of employees participating in the campaign to Census2020@broward.org.
To show your love for Broward and to pledge to participate at work, please download the flyer.
Nan H. Rich – Broward County Commissioner
Nan Rich represents Broward County District 1, which includes Davie, Lauderhill, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac, and Weston.
