For a limited time, families facing financial hardship have an opportunity to apply for one-time relief assistance beginning October 1
MIAMI (Oct. 1, 2020) – Miami-Dade County and United Way of Miami-Dade will reopen The Miami-Dade Pandemic Assistance Program to provide hard-working individuals and families with emergency assistance and relief during the coronavirus pandemic. The program, funded from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), aims to help ALICE* (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals and families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Relief funds can be used for basic living expenses such as food, utilities, childcare, medical expenses and rental assistance among others.
“Since initiating weekly fund disbursements on August 15, we have distributed more than $13.8 million of Miami-Dade County Cares Act funds to more than 9,000 households, representing emergency relief to over 29,000 adults and children,” Maria C. Alonso, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade, said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the County to provide vital relief to so many in our community that are still struggling through the economic impacts of the pandemic.”
Individuals and/or families who have experienced a significant loss of income due to unemployment, underemployment and/or experienced unexpected expenses as a result of COVID-19 and are residents of Miami-Dade County can apply for one-time assistance beginning October 1 at 9:00am via apply.unitedwaymiami.org/submit. The application will close automatically once the maximum number of applications is received in order to exhaust the remaining funds available. Only first-time applicants will be considered. For more information, you can visit unitedwaymiami.org/coronavirusresources.
“Our County’s collaboration with United Way of Miami-Dade will ensure that residents receive the assistance they need to make it through this pandemic,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez.”I thank our Board of County Commissioners for acting so quickly to help streamline this process.”
In August, Miami-Dade County selected United Way to distribute the $20M in federal funds due to its profound experience in emergency response to the community’s needs. In addition, United Way has been providing emergency assistance and relief during the pandemic since mid-March through its Miami Pandemic Response Fund, allocating more than $3.6M raised to individuals, families and small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
COVID-19 Resources:
- Visit Miami-Dade County Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
- Visit United Way of Miami-Dade COVID-19 Resource Center
- Call 2-1-1 where English, Spanish and Creole speakers are available to assist.
Media Contacts:
Adriana Yurizza, yurizzaa@unitedwaymiami.org, 305-646-7195
Cristina Blanco, blancoc@unitedwaymiami.org, 305-646-7120
United Way ALICE Resources:
*With 5 out of 10 households (54%) in Miami-Dade County living in, or one emergency away from, poverty, the pandemic has exacerbated an already difficult situation for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals and families. Learn more about ALICE by visiting United Way ALICE Report.
About United Way of Miami-Dade
Since 1924, United Way of Miami-Dade has been an innovative force in the community, successfully responding to emerging needs and transforming people’s lives. Today our work is focused on education, financial stability and health – the building blocks for a good life. We invest in quality programs, advocate for better policies, engage people in the community and generate resources. To learn more, give, advocate or volunteer, visit unitedwaymiami.org, facebook.com/UnitedWayMiami, twitter.com/UnitedWayMiami or instagram/UnitedWayMiami.
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