TITLE
RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR THE COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT A REPORT RELATED TO THE EFFECTS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ON THE FEDERAL HOUSING PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE STEPS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN OR WILL BE TAKEN TO LIMIT THE IMPACT OF SUCH SHUTDOWN ON PARTICIPANTS IN THE FEDERAL HOUSING PROGRAMS

BODY
WHEREAS, the United States government officially entered a shutdown (�Federal Shutdown�) at midnight on December 21, 2018 after the United States Congress failed to come to agreement on President Trump's $5 billion border wall; and
WHEREAS, although a number of federal departments and agencies were funded through September 2019 because of previously passed appropriations bills, on December 21, 2018, funding expired that covers the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the State Department, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (�HUD�), among some other federal entities; and
WHEREAS, according to HUD�s website �due to the lapse in Congressional Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019, [HUD] is closed;� and
WHEREAS, according to a recent National Public Radio (�NPR�) article on the effects of the Federal Shutdown on programs administered by HUD, NPR reports that �many housing advocates fear thousands of low-income Americans are at risk of being evicted; and
WHEREAS, the article further states that �more than 1,000 government-backed housing contracts have already expired and potentially more will do so in the coming weeks;� and
WHEREAS, the article further states that �since the shutdown began, approximately 1,150 federal rental assistance contracts have not been renewed due to funding lapses at HUD;� and
WHEREAS, the article also states that �these lapses impact Project-Based Rental Assistance agreements between private property owners and the federal government;� and
WHEREAS, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which is a national organization dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes, approximately 840 units could be affected in Miami Dade County by the Federal Shutdown; and
WHEREAS, according to a January 6, 2019 article in the Washington Post it was reported that HUD sent�letters to 1,500 landlords on January 4, 2019 as part of a last-minute effort to prevent the eviction of thousands of tenants; and
WHEREAS, the letters instructed the landlords to use their reserve accounts so that no one is evicted; and
WHEREAS, this Board believes that HUD�s solution to preventing evictions is short-term, especially if the Federal Shutdown continues for much longer; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Shutdown already has been determined to be the longest in United States history; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County (the �County�) is a �public housing agency� as defined in accordance with the provisions of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended (42 U.S.C. � 1401, et. seq.); and
WHEREAS, as a public housing agency the County has established the Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development Department (�PHCD�) to administer the federal housing programs, including, but are not limited to, public housing, Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation programs (collectively the �Federal Housing Programs�), which are subsidized by HUD; and
WHEREAS, presently PHCD has operating funds through February 2019 for the County�s public housing properties all of which are subsidized by HUD, and its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program; and funds through March 2019 for its Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program; and
WHEREAS, this Board wishes to ensure should the Federal Shutdown continue after February 2019 that the participants all Federal Housing Programs administered by the County are not negatively impacted, including, but not limited to, through eviction or termination of assistance; and
WHEREAS, accordingly this Board wishes to know the steps that the County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee has taken or will be taking to limit the impact of the Federal Shutdown, including, but not limited to, steps to ensure that participants in the Federal Housing Programs are not negatively impacted,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are incorporated into this resolution and are approved.�
Section 2. This Board directs the County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee to prepare and submit a report on the effects of the Federal Shutdown on the Federal Housing Programs administered by PHCD. The report shall include, but is not limited to the following:
(1) Steps that are being taken or will be taken by the County Mayor or the County Mayor�s designee to limit the impact of the Federal Shutdown, including, but not limited to, steps to ensure that participants in the Federal Housing Programs are not negatively impacted either through termination of assistance or eviction;
(2) Steps that can be taken by the County�s private partners who are presently redeveloping or have redeveloped certain County public housing developments to limit the impact of the Federal Shutdown, including, but not limited to, steps to ensure that participants in the Federal Housing Programs are not negatively impacted either through termination of assistance or eviction;
(3) Steps that will be taken to work with private owners participating in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation programs to ensure participants in these programs will not be evicted, including ensuring that such private owners comply with the federal regulations governing these programs, including, but not limited to, 24 Code of Federal Regulations section 982.310, which prohibits owners from terminating the tenancy of participants in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program because of the County�s non-payment of the County�s portion to such participants� rents;
(4) Identification of other County funding sources, including, but not limited to, the County General Funds, that can be used on March 1, 2019 to assist participants in the Federal Housing Programs should the Federal Shutdown continue past February 28, 2019;
(5) Indicate whether any of the approximately 840 housing units in Miami-Dade County that have been identified by the National Low Income Housing Coalition that could be affected by the Federal Shutdown are under contract with the County; and
(6) Such other steps that can be taken by the County related to any other housing issues.
The report required herein shall be submitted to this Board within 15 days of the effective date of this resolution and such report shall be placed on an agenda of this Board in accordance with Ordinance No. 14-65.