Here’s how you can get up to $200,000 from Commissioner Christine King

Cherlyn Dormeus received $200,000 from Chairwoman and District 5 Commissioner Christine King’s First-Time Homebuyer Program and is still in disbelief that she now owns a three-bedroom home in Wynwood. 

“What a beautiful home, so it’s breathtaking,” Dormeus, a single mother of two boys, said. “Every day I walk outside the door, ‘I’m like, I’m really here? I am really a homeowner. I’m really in this place.’”

Dormeus’ dream home came about because of a fairly new program that targets Miami residents who earn 80% of the median income (AMI).

To be eligible, applicants must be residents of Miami, be able to relocate to District 5, have an income of 80% of the area median income (AMI) or less, the Key Biscayne Independent reported in May.  The county said that the AMI is $79, 400. First responders are also urged to reply.

King wrote in an email that the "Expanded First-Time Homebuyer Program has made homeownership a reality for 17 families" since its inception in 2022, and that "there are another seven first-time homebuyers in the pipeline."

King persuaded fellow commissioners to give the program $3 million in 2022, she also told the Key Biscayne Independent in May.

King is a "role model" because she is guaranteeing that more people become homeowners, Dormeus said. She said she is thrilled that King was reelected on Nov. 4 in the General Municipal and Special Election.

King wrote in an email that “I am looking forward to making the American dream come true for many more residents in the next four years.”

In an area like Miami-Dade County, affordable housing is essential. 

According to a September analysis from the real estate firm Redfin, the area has the lowest percentage of metropolitan areas in both the Sunshine State and the US. Less than 58% of households in the Miami metropolitan region are homeowners, according to the research.

One of the benefits of having a home, Dormeus said, is being able to design it whatever way she pleases. Her boys can play in the backyard, so she doesn't have to worry about them running around inside the house.

Her neighbors greet her as she cleans her front yard. This is the first time she’s able to walk to a grocery store, she said. There’s a school across her house that she’s considering enrolling her children in — something that will save time on her commute.

Dormeus moved into her house on Sept. 30 and said it took two years for her to get the home because she had to boost her credit score to at least 650, but she eventually exceeded the criteria to 760.

She said she paid more than $2,000 for a three-bedroom apartment in Liberty City, where her rent increased about every six months or annually. 

Her house cost roughly $300,000. The initiative paid $200,000. The remaining amount will be covered by a 30-year loan with a monthly mortgage of less than $1,700.

“I’m not talking about Section 8. And not that there’s anything wrong with Section 8, but this is actually my home, and King actually made it happen,” Dormeus said. 

In Miami, Section 8 is intended to provide rental assistance to qualified low-income individuals and households in order to meet their housing needs.

One of the conditions for the program was to demonstrate that she had a steady job and place of residence, Dormeus said.

“That program looked out and provided more than I wanted,” Dormeus said.

She said after attending a class for first-time homebuyers, she learned about King's program after having long-held dreams of buying a house. She added that she is grateful because, as a TSA employee earning $70,000 a year, she would not be able to afford buying a property. 

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to come up with that money right away on my own. It would probably be another couple of years and some sacrifices.”

The house is “perfect for her,” she said. “The yard is really nice. I’m able to fit my grill.”