Public Benefits Program

FRC’s Public Benefits Program will help 800 Miami-Dade families access a wide range of federal, state and local benefits. The program is designed to reach minority and low-income families, including immigrant families, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and those with elderly and disabled members. Census and income data show that 262,000 children living in Miami-Dade are living in impoverished or low-income households. With additional supports – through cash benefits, tax credits, childcare and preschool, healthcare and employment assistance – we know that we can build more optimal environments for these children to grow up in. These programs will reduce hunger, family instability, as well as educational and health deficits. This program is designed to help mitigate many of the barriers that have routinely prevented parents from accessing these community benefits and supports – including lack of awareness, complex eligibility criteria, cumbersome application processes, language and literacy challenges, transportation and childcare issues, and stigma and discrimination.

To do this, FRC will have bi-lingual Navigators in Spanish and Haitian Creole and provide enrollment support at locations that are convenient and where families are already coming for services. The program offers three locations – one in Homestead, one in Little Havana, and one in North Miami.