Ben Carson gets a key to Miami for ‘unprecedented’ funding to business, renter relief

On Friday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez presented Secretary Ben Carson with a key to the city for his role in providing relief aid for Miami renters and businesses.

“This is for the secretary, who has not only distinguished yourself in your position,” Suarez said, “you’ve also distinguished yourself specifically with regards to the city of Miami and this program.”

The U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development spoke at Miami City Hall alongside Suarez and Miami commissioners. Carson was invited to discuss programs the city had funded with more than $3 million provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, a $2 trillion rescue package passed by Congress in response to the economic shutdown during the pandemic.

“We do everything that we possibly can,” Carson said. “One thing that sometimes people forget is that we’re all in the same boat. And if part of the boat sinks, the rest of it goes about too.”

Carson said the federal government will continue to assist recovering communities affected most by the coronavirus via the CARES Act and other federal initiatives yet to be announced. But long-term relief still relies on communities being able to restart their economies impacted by mandated shutdowns.

Carson said that although governments implemented shutdowns to fight an unprecedented and “invisible” enemy, it’s possible the shutdowns were “an overreaction.” Carson made the comment on the same day that the Miami Beach commission voted to reopen beaches and hotels on June 1, the county said it would follow suit and Broward County was set to announce a May 26 reopening.

The secretary said the federal government will “continue to support low-income, minority and rural communities, as well as other distressed areas, including South Florida.” He added that funding is possible because the “underlying economic infrastructure” of the country “is still in place.”

Miami is using federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fuel three financial assistance programs for businesses and individual renters.

Miami split the funds across programs to assist two categories of small businesses and people who need help paying rent and utility bills. Less than an hour after the city started taking applications May 4, the city reached its capacity for the two business programs. Within days, the rent and utility assistance applications hit the maximum.

As a result, some who needed assistance were unable to get it, and may now struggle to pay rent and other bills. Suarez said the federal government is still providing “unprecedented help.”

“We never expected HUD to be able to take on that problem, because that’s a problem that’s beyond HUD’s scope: to be able to make sure that everybody can pay their rent,” Suarez said. “We’re just thankful that we can get the money that we’re getting and that we can help people immediately.”

Suarez said that while he’ll never say he doesn’t want more money for the city, he hopes that reopening messages, such as Miami Beach’s vote to reopen hotels and beaches June 1, resonate. He said industries such as hotels and gyms need to reopen so that residents “have the ability to pay their own rent.”

“The most efficient way for us to help people is to get our economy safely working again, so that they can stand themselves up and work and provide for their families,” Suarez said.

Stephanie Severino, director of communications for the city, told the Miami Herald on Friday that enough people had applied to the programs to account for all the money that had been allocated. She said the first set of rental assistance checks will go out next week. Businesses must sign contracts with the city before receiving their funding; “many” have already done so, she said.

Commissioner Ken Russell thanked the secretary and requested more assistance on behalf of the city.

“While no one wants to see large corporate bailouts, there is one large corporation that everyone wants to see stabilized and that is your local municipality itself. Now more than ever, cities need your help,” Russell said.

Earlier, Carson had told the Herald that the government should only have limited intervention, and ultimately the goal of such aid programs is “to get to self-sufficiency.”

“I appreciate the way Miami has approached this,” Carson told the Herald. “Some people want the government to take care of them 24/7.”

Before the pandemic, Miami already suffered from social and economic disparities that emerged during the area’s real estate development boom, which has made it difficult for people with middle and low incomes to afford to live in Miami. Carson sees an opportunity to use more federal funding to develop affordable housing projects with a focus on building communities that include neighborhoods’ needs, such as grocery stores and medical offices.

“This might be the best time in 50 years to look at sustainable projects in the affordable housing arena,” he told the Herald.