Miami-Dade County housing committee members heard more than a dozen public comments Tuesday from residents who said unsafe conditions, alleged retaliation and poor property management are persistent problems in public housing, then unanimously approved a resolution to accept additional HOME-American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The most immediate formal action came on agenda item 1G1, a resolution retroactively approving the county mayor or the mayor’s designee to apply for and accept additional HOME-ARP funds from HUD in the amount of $26,578; the committee voted to approve the resolution unanimously. Commissioners who were recorded on the roll call as voting in favor were Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Vice Chair Minh McGee, Commissioner Regalado, Vice Chairman Gonzales and Chairwoman Bastien.

Why it matters: Residents told the committee the new federal and local funding being sought should be carefully audited and spent on repairs, operations and supports for current residents rather than on administrative costs or projects that do not directly benefit tenants. Several speakers explicitly urged HUD oversight and an audit of how previous federal housing funds were used.

Residents’ testimony and requests

Speakers who identified themselves as residents of Liberty Square, Guernsey Site 291, Model City and other public housing sites described similar problems: eviction notices or the threat of eviction, repeated moves, mold and leaking roofs, inadequate security lighting, trash and animal hazards on steps and building entrances, alleged harassment by site managers and concerns that tenant councils and resident advisory boards are not independent. Several commenters asked county staff, HUD or the housing committee to hold follow-up community meetings and to audit recent federal funds intended for residents.

Renita Holmes, an advocate and executive director who identified herself as a volunteer with WAVE of Women, said the county should audit how HOME and other federal funds are spent and "stop the leak" of funds that she said are not reaching residents. Holmes asked that the committee review administration costs and whether funds are being recaptured rather than used for direct resident benefits.

Sharon Frazier, a Liberty Square resident, told the panel: "HUD send down money and my community, thousand, millions. ... People are taking our money. HUD, we need you." Theophilus Williams said, "Something is wrong in this county right now," and described a pattern of displacement and economic pressure on residents.

Chief Jimmy Morales and follow-up offers

Committee members responded by inviting staff and public-safety leadership to meet residents on-site. Chairwoman Bastien said she and housing staff would go to the communities residents identified and see the issues firsthand. Chief Jimmy Morales, who was in the room, and Nathan Cogan of the Department of Housing and Community Development were asked to follow up with residents who requested meetings and direct assistance.

Committee requests and motions

Beyond 1G1, committee members also discussed and approved two bifurcated items that relate to long-term housing strategy and local funding oversight:

- A request for a staff report on a 2023 Request for Applications (RFA) tranche of surtax-funded projects that missed minimum thresholds and were allowed additional time to come into compliance. The committee amended that request to also include a breakdown of current applications for this year’s surtax tranche by commission district, to the extent legally allowable during an active solicitation. Nathan Cogan said the department is scoring applications and working to report on the earlier tranche’s compliance status.

- An item on infill properties and homeownership (2C) was discussed at length. Several commissioners said county resources devoted to homeownership should be concentrated on infill county lots and on housing types that yield more units for the investment (for example, duplexes, triplexes and quads). The committee voted to approve the item as presented and asked staff and the mayor’s office to consider future policy language to prioritize county infill sites for limited homeownership funds.

Quantitative and program details mentioned in the meeting

Committee members discussed cost-per-unit disparities when awarding surtax funds. One commissioner noted two recommended awards of $5 million each: one would support about 39 units (roughly $130,000 per unit) while the other would support about 270 units (roughly $18,000 per unit), and urged staff to include an investment-per-unit metric in future reports. Nathan Cogan described an active RFA process with “several in the thirties, 40 applications” for the current surtax tranche and said staff is preparing scoring and reports.

Distinguishing discussion, direction and formal action

The public comments constituted discussion and requests for follow-up; multiple residents said they feared retaliation for speaking and asked for protection and enforcement of tenant rights. Committee members directed staff and public-safety officials to meet with residents and requested written reports: (1) a report on the 2023 RFA projects given extra time to comply and (2) a district-by-district breakdown of applications for the current surtax tranche (to the extent legally allowable while solicitations are active). The formal action taken during the meeting was the unanimous approval of resolution 1G1 to accept additional HOME-ARP grant funds, and separate approvals of the two bifurcated agenda items discussed above.

What the committee promised next

Chairwoman Bastien and Vice Chair McGee both acknowledged the speakers and asked staff to schedule community meetings. The committee did not adopt new enforcement rules at the meeting; it instead asked staff to report back with compliance updates, application breakdowns and to follow up directly with residents who requested on-site meetings.

Votes at a glance

- Item 1G1: Resolution to accept additional HOME-American Rescue Plan funds from HUD in the amount of $26,578 — approved unanimously (Commissioner Eileen Higgins; Vice Chair Minh McGee; Commissioner Regalado; Vice Chairman Gonzales; Chairwoman Bastien).
- Item 2A (report request/amendment): Request for report on 2023 surtax RFA tranche and district breakdown for current year's applications — approved as amended.
- Item 2C (infill/homeownership discussion): Approved as presented; committee asked staff and the mayor’s office to consider prioritization language for future items.

Ending

Committee members said they would follow up with on-site visits, written reports and continued oversight of grant spending and surtax awards. Residents who testified asked that the oversight include audits of how federal funds have been spent in the past and that HUD and county officials ensure funds reach current tenants for repairs, safety and tenant protections.