#TheTechHustle Podcast 🎙

Backstage with BobbyD featuring Shandra Daniels

• BobbyD, D'Hustle and Raymond...don't call him RayRay

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Transforming Black economic prosperity is happening right in South Florida, and most residents don't even know it exists. Deputy Director Chandra Daniels reveals how the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust has quietly distributed over half a million dollars in grants to Black-owned businesses throughout the county, from restaurants to healthcare providers to artists, with some receiving up to $20,000 to scale their operations.

What truly sets this county agency apart is their revolutionary approach to homeownership. As Daniels explains, "Home ownership is the cornerstone of wealth in this country." Their Down Payment Assistance Program provides up to $28,000 as a completely forgivable loan - meaning if you stay in your home for 20 years as your primary residence, you never pay back a cent. In a market where housing prices have tripled in just four years, this program is creating pathways to property ownership previously unattainable for many Black families.

Perhaps most remarkable is their Rehabilitation Assistance Program, offering up to $50,000 in forgivable loans for critical home repairs. The program prioritizes health and safety issues like roof repairs, electrical, and plumbing problems, particularly benefiting senior homeowners who might otherwise be forced to sell. "We had some clients who we had to build a ramp because now they're at an age where they can't walk up those stairs," Daniels shares, highlighting how these investments allow residents to age in place with dignity while preserving community wealth. With both programs centered on long-term community stabilization and generational wealth building, MDEAT represents a model other cities should emulate. Learn more by visiting MiamiDade.gov/MDEAT or following @MDETinfo on Instagram.

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Speaker 1:

We've given over half a million dollars in grants to black businesses throughout Miami-Dade County, and it's a variety of businesses. It could be a restaurant, it could be a chiropractor office, some artists. Whatever your business is, you apply, you go through a process, a vetting process, and you may be granted. We want to make sure that people know we exist. We're here and we're here to serve you. Where we're specifically here for the black community.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And for the empowerment and the prosperity of the community. Welcome, welcome, welcome, yeah yo. What up d hustle, what's going on? Guess where we?

Speaker 2:

still at player. Uh, south beach, south beach, no, no, no. Oh man, we're a little far from valvulge.

Speaker 1:

All right, yeah, yeah, but we're in south florida south florida.

Speaker 2:

we are at the black wealthalth Summit and I got a special guest here who we got. First of all, a big shout-out to FMU, the only black, historical black college in South Florida. Big shout-out to FMU for hosting us here and big shout-out to Source and all the sponsors here. Let's get a round of applause for Chandra coming to the stage. So give us a quick introduction, tell us your name and tell us a little bit about you.

Speaker 1:

So thank you, gentlemen, for having me. My name is chandra daniels. I'm the deputy director at miami-dade economic advocacy trust.

Speaker 2:

Many people know us as indeed.

Speaker 1:

However, you know, we like to make sure everybody knows exactly who we are yeah, the miami-dade economic advocacy trust yeah, for sure, for sure.

Speaker 2:

Now I just seen her on stage and when she came on stage I was in you know the cut and I was like you, like you did an amazing job. And she's like did I? I was so nervous. Now you wasn't nervous were you A little bit.

Speaker 1:

Oh, just a little, just a little. But when I'm up there it's like come on. Yeah, exactly Right.

Speaker 2:

So tell us a little bit about the topic that you covered and definitely your contributions to this event that we're having this Saturday.

Speaker 1:

Well, we're one of the sponsors for Black Wealth Summit. Our entire mission is building prosperity, economic prosperity in the black community, Making sure that our black residents are actively participating, that they're fully participating in their own prosperity and in that of Dade County. So we have the four pillars that I spoke about earlier, that we basically stand on my boss, Bill Diggs, who couldn't be here today. Okay, so we have the four pillars that I spoke about earlier, that we basically stand on my boss, Bill Diggs, who couldn't be here today.

Speaker 2:

However, Big shout out to him, big shout out to Bill. I love.

Speaker 1:

Bill, he called it a four-legged stool. But those pillars that we stand on for black economic empowerment, our economic development department, they give. We've given over half a million dollars in grants to black businesses throughout Miami-Dade County.

Speaker 1:

That's fantastic, and it's a variety of businesses. You know. It could be a restaurant, it can be, I think it was a chiropractor office, some artists, just whatever your business is, yeah, you know, you apply, you go through a process, a vetting process, and you may be granted up to sometimes, I think one year we did like $15,000, $20,000. What we do have coming up on March 6th is our pitch competition.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I love pitch competitions.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, and so that's on march 6th at the beacon council, from 3 pm to 6 pm, um, where we are granting, whoever those winners are you know, bless them, bless them, bless them. You know um the top award is fifteen thousand dollars, ten thousand and five thousand that's what's up so, and that is to help people scale and expand their businesses.

Speaker 1:

because sometimes, you know, like um, I remember one of our um, one of our awardees, um previous awardees she was able to buy some equipment that helped her get more customers, you know, and so we're looking for always looking for different ways to help um, to help our community 100%, a big round of applause for that, because I think a lot of people don't really realize who's around them looking to support you.

Speaker 2:

Right, I think we had Brian from Light Capital Investment talking about making investments or being a VC firm, but that's not the only way to get financing and support around an idea that you have. And keeping it local, let me tell you, is so inspiring because us business owners, because I'm a business owner, this is a business right here right.

Speaker 2:

We have challenges, right, we have challenges. First of all, you know, making sure that we're building a product or a service that really aligns with our customers. But even more so when you're a local business. It's even more difficult, right? Because advertising dollars, storefronts, location, location all of these things just become so overwhelming that you need organizations like you all to really help support, and I know you all are going to look for the right ones, right?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and it is so important for you to exist you know the tech hustle, your podcast, your platform to be here, because a lot of times we run into some folks and they say, oh, we didn't know about you and I'm like we've been around for 40 years. You know it may have. I mean it used to be. It had a previous name, you know, m-map.

Speaker 1:

For those people who were here, you know 20, 30, 40 years ago, but we're still the same organization. So you know 20, 30, 40 years ago, but we're still the same organization. So we want to make sure that people know we exist. We're here and we're here to serve you. You know we are here. I think it's probably the only department in the county and probably maybe in the country.

Speaker 2:

I might be reaching on that one. Yeah, brush your shoulders off, it's all right.

Speaker 1:

That is of our kind, where we are specifically here for the black community and for the empowerment and the prosperity of the community, because one of our other programs that you know home ownership is the cornerstone of wealth in this country. Really, through our housing program, our housing assistance program, we call it HAP what we do there is we help with down payment assistance.

Speaker 1:

It's not first time home buyer. It's just down payment assistance Because, as you know, a house that, as we talked about earlier today, a house that was $200,000 maybe four years ago, is now every bit of $600,000 to $700,000. And we help a certain demographic. However, if you, if we help, let's say, because most people say, well, you have to have a low income and you know these different criteria Not necessarily, not necessarily, you know, because sometimes some people make $90,000, $80,000, $90,000, $100,000. And guess what, in Miami-Dade County, everybody needs a little help with some down payment assistance, because before you were able to save and you were able to take the down payment now for a $600,000 house is just ridiculous.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, is it 20%, you think?

Speaker 1:

Well, I know it was between 20 and 30. And of course there's always the interest rates and different things like that. So in our department you can get up to $28,000 to help with closing costs and a variety of things.

Speaker 1:

$1,000 to help with closing costs and a variety of things. But I know closing costs was always one of the biggest issues that people, the obstacles that people face because they're like, oh, I've got to keep saving all these years and it's like you know what? And here's the beautiful part about it it's a forgivable loan. So if you stay in the home for 20 years, it is your primary residence. You do not refinance it or transfer ownership or anything like that. It's your home. You're there as your primary residence. At the end of those 20 years, the loan is forgiven wow meaning you don't have to pay it back.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you do not have to pay it back. It is um, no interest. You're not paying anything every month because everybody goes okay. So how do I pay this back? You're not paying it back. Yeah it, everybody goes okay, so how do I pay this back? You're not paying it back. It's forgivable. I'm like this we're invested, just like you are, so we give you this $28,000 for your closing costs. You basically live in this home. This is your primary residence. If you buy a home, I'm assuming you plan on staying there Nowadays, you better hold.

Speaker 1:

You're not going to try to flip the house or something like that. You know. And then from there, at the end of those 20 years, that has been satisfied. You know that forgettable has been satisfied, and that's it. And we're sending out letters, like almost every day, to people who have satisfied you know, their loan has been satisfied to let them know you're clean and clear with us. You know, and that's it.

Speaker 2:

Well, that proves you know you all be in a business for that long in terms of just the contributions you make. But the key thing here is is that access is what you all are giving right. Access to that long in terms of property ownership, but that property ownership developing into wealth and the family and being passed on and things like that, but then we're keeping it in our community.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and with keeping it in our community. I'm glad you said that because it just reminds me of something else. We also have a rehabilitation assistance program. So this program is for around folks who already own their home but they may need some repairs. That you know who has $30,000, $40,000 to fix the roof.

Speaker 2:

Nobody, or $6,000 out of nowhere to go paint the house? No, ooh, ooh.

Speaker 1:

When there's so many different things that you have to. You know, you spread so many different ways. So through our program, the Rehabilitation Assistance Program, what we call RAP, you know, it's an acronym. We another forgivable loan up to fifty thousand dollars in repairs to your home we focus on, of course, first the life's life health safety issues in your home. You know, like if your roof needs repair yeah okay, but you want your bathroom done?

Speaker 2:

we're gonna take care of that not the bathroom, not the jacuzzi size.

Speaker 1:

Yet we're not doing that, you know. But you know, a lot of times people can't get insurance because of the the house is in disrepair or you know, plumbing issues, electricity. You know we have a lot of senior citizens that have been owning their homes for many years and the home is just, you know, it's falling apart. Yeah, you know, we were able to come in and say we had some. We had some, some clients who we had to build a ramp because now they're at an age where they can't walk up those stairs or run up those stairs like they used to outfit them bathroom, you know, and make it handicap accessible. So there are many ways that you know this program can help. And the same way, you know, for that forgivable loan is 15 years. After 15, you don't have to pay it back, if, of course, you know you remain in this home for the 15 years and you know, at the end of that 15 years, guess what?

Speaker 1:

We send you a letter. You're clean and clear, you don't owe us anything.

Speaker 2:

I don't know who else you owe. But you don't owe us anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't imagine those letters.

Speaker 2:

I'd be like yo, can I get more of these letters, but no, these programs and this is the thing is, like, a lot of people just don't know about it Correct, and this is why the podcast, these type of events, like at the Black Wealth Summit here at FMU, really just gives our community some insights. Yes, because I feel like it's always like this feeling like, oh, nobody's there to say help, help, help, and it's like, no, the help is there, you're just not looking for it and or these are the things that you need to be set in stone and or put in the right position so that you can access it, because our communities are really being affected by us not being able to keep up with things us not being able to keep up with things.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and that's why I feel like organizations like yours are there to help support us and keep our communities in our hands, because they easily especially here in Florida with real estate they're buying up everything. I got a question. I'm sorry to interject here. So let's say you're in that program right now and you have to do the roof, is that a separate program From the original one?

Speaker 1:

So there are two programs that I spoke about. One is for down payment assistance Down payment assistance and then there is, as a part of that division, there is the rehabilitation assistance, and the rehabilitation assistance you can send us your wish list of things that need to be repaired. Now, we're not talking about cosmetics, though.

Speaker 2:

No, yeah, we're talking about some serious stuff here, but you have to do the roof, yes, you do the roof and you stuff.

Speaker 1:

But you know we're talking about some serious stuff here. You know you have to do the roof. Yes, you do the roof, um, and you send, send in your application and all the information and requirements that we're asking you to do, because that's the main thing, folks, when we ask you to send in, send it right, don't send us what you want us to have.

Speaker 2:

This is what we asked for.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly right, but you don't want to delay the process, you know. You don't want to delay the process because you know, um, because at this point we have more demand and supply.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Because the program sorry for RAP Rehabilitation Assistance Program has been around for about two years, once you know, our executive director, bill Diggs, implemented it and now we have more demand and supply because, you know, for people, seeing someone else's house get done, they're like well how did you do?

Speaker 1:

this. You know how did you do this. So it's word of mouth. How did you do that? You know how did you do it. So it's word of mouth, it's expressed like that. But to your point, bobby D, we again, your platform is so important to spread this information and I guess we also need to figure out another way to just how do we get folks to know that we're here, because you know now that I think about it, you know how did they do it, say, for the civil rights movement, and they didn't have podcasts and they didn't have access to television, you know, to the news studios, because there wasn't nobody letting them in and saying, hey, it's going to be a movement and with that, 250,000 of us going to Washington, you know they weren't allowed on television or something like that.

Speaker 1:

So it's like here we are and it's like we have all these things available to us and yet people are still saying they don't know something. They don't have any knowledge of it. So it's like how do we become a household name? You know, I want our department to have that same recognition, if nothing else, as say, when you hear NAACP, you know who they are immediately no-transcript.

Speaker 2:

So that man. I'm so grateful y'all get a chance.

Speaker 2:

Drop the gym button to hear the impact that we have in terms of organizations right here in South Florida that can help create that pathway to generational wealth, but also the support you need to get out of. Either it's a hole or you're just not like. This is what these organizations are around here for, and we definitely really appreciate you Like. This is what these organizations are around here for and we definitely really appreciate you. Now, one thing that I do want to inquire especially about the entrepreneur side in the business development. What has been one of the things that the funds that have been allocated to those businesses, what have they used them mostly for?

Speaker 1:

They've used them for, like, say, equipment inventory, not food, or anything like that. You know, we do have certain. You know Requirements, yeah, requirements, but mostly say some people, they didn't. They had, say, that old school cash register where they would press on the button.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's like cha-ching yeah yeah, now they have Square. Yeah, and they're digitized.

Speaker 1:

Yes, they're absolutely more digitized, yeah, and more digitized, yes, they're absolutely more digitized, they are current. Some people actually were able to say become more educated through financial literacy and go to certain workshops or certain programs. We also work with the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce you know, it's the black chamber pretty much and we partner with them and they have an excellent program where, say, for instance, when our applicants um are applying for the grant, we're like we have some resources and some folks that we work with that can actually help you yeah through this application process to um, you know, possibly make it happen for you where you actually get a, get a grant.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know um so there's, a lot of different things that it can be used for, but with definitely to scale up that business is uh, to scale up your business 100, and the reason why I'm asking is is like when, when people are like all right, so I might need support, but what am I going to use it for? Right, and it's really just helping closing that gap so you can continue to stay in business, develop and also and also innovate. Right, or get access instead of the old cash register to the new, digitized, and now you're digitizing all your products and now you're getting better reporting, you're getting better data. Absolutely, you're able to move faster and like. It's these gaps that we're closing to allow us to continue to move forward or we're going to be left behind.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and with that, and that's why we have those resources, like the Miami-Dade Chamber and different folks that we work with, because one of the things that, again, you know, people have a great idea and they've started the business. Now they just need to know what to do at this point and they receive that hand-holding that's needed sometimes to get them to the next level and once they have it, they take off. Facts, they take off. It's like I just needed a little push. They're like I got it from here, I just needed a little push.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Speaker 1:

Go ahead.

Speaker 2:

Dee For our listeners. How can I get in contact with you?

Speaker 1:

So you can get in contact with the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust. You can call us at 305-375-5661. Ooh, look at that. I was like we have like 30 lines.

Speaker 2:

so I'm like which one yeah?

Speaker 1:

You can also reach us on the website MiamiDaygov slash M, as in Mary D-E-A-T, so that's MiamiDaygov slash MDeet and you can follow. Please follow us on Instagram. We want you to follow us on Instagram at MDTinfo, so we look forward to gaining more followers after this podcast.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, y'all already know about it. Look in the comments descriptions below Y'all going to see all the information, because that's where you can definitely keep you know you can follow us and keep up with what we're doing what's available to you Because, again, like I said, the next thing that we have coming up next week, in a few days, as a matter of fact, what?

Speaker 1:

five days is our project pitch competition, where people are going to be competing for some dollars to help their businesses.

Speaker 2:

Yo, we've been bringing in people that are writing checks all day. Player.

Speaker 2:

This is the perfect opportunity, right, and let me first of all say thank you so much, chandra, for pulling up um and giving us some information and your audience. Please click on the links below. Follow, get involved, find out about your community, especially if you're not only here in south florida, because we do a little different down here, but it's not that different, because they're all services that are available in your areas too. So, but just do the research and definitely reach out. But other than that, uh, cue up the music player. Let's see what you got the music running. So, shonda. Thank you so much for pulling up the backstage of bobby. Do you enjoy yourself?

Speaker 1:

oh, yeah, love it. Oh, we'll make it a very. You gotta get me back, you gotta have me back and we have to have you on our podcast. Oh yeah, black prosperity podcast that's what's up.

Speaker 2:

That's what's up. Before we cut off, any last words for the audience members.

Speaker 1:

Everyone. Please, please, do yourself a service. Come check us out, like I said on our different platforms, even if it's something that you are not ready to do, like, say, with home ownership. We need our black folks to own some homes.

Speaker 1:

And we don't want to keep giving our houses away because, again, through our rehabilitation program, we are increasing the value of the home. You know, with those repairs, um, we want, we need you to buy some homes. Keep these homes, um, and we're here to assist you with it, and I just hope that you take advantage of everything that we have to offer and we are the miami-dade economic advocacy trust.

Speaker 2:

Holy on these streets big shout out, sir, and thank you so much for tuning in. I hope you heard that we are here at the Black Wealth Summit holding it down and we're going to have another guest come through, so I hope you stay tuned to us. Thank you so much. I'll let you boy. It's Bobby D.