Miami-Dade County accelerates affordable housing efforts with $40 million federal grant
‘There is a whole vibrant part of our economy that is low wage,’ said Annie Lord of Miami Homes for All
Christina Vasquez, Reporter | Local 10 News
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County is ramping up efforts to address the affordability crisis by building more housing, particularly near transit hubs.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins discussed the need for such developments with Local 10 News Tuesday, noting that housing and transportation are the top two costs for families, which shouldn’t exceed 40% of their monthly income.
“The fact that Brownsville is located right at a metro rail hub means families will have affordable housing and access to transit which means they won’t have the cost of a car, insurance, gas, that drive a family’s expense up every month.”
The final phase of the Brownsville Transit Village is now underway. This public-private affordable housing project will be available to low-income families, just one of many in the pipeline.
“There is a supply and demand inequity so families who don’t make a lot of money are at the bottom end of fighting for all of those units,” said Higgins. “We are surrounded by water, an ocean, the Everglades and Broward County blocking us to the north so we have the land that we have and we must optimize it by transit corridors. That is the county strategy.”
Higgins also shared the county’s ongoing efforts with Local 10 News on Tuesday.
“This year, we have over 30,000 units under construction or opening. This all-encompassing effort is supported by the Miami-Dade Commission and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava,” said Higgins.
Last Wednesday, Miami-Dade County opened 538 units of elderly housing at Sawyer’s Walk in Overtown and received a $40 million federal grant for the redevelopment of the Culmer area.
Rendering of proposed redevelopment of Culmer area. (Atlantic Pacific Companies)
Higgins added, “I can’t imagine another county in America achieving this much for affordable housing and transit in just six days. It’s amazing.”
Annie Lord of Miami Homes for All praised the Brownsville project.
“Projects near transit are critically important. This demonstrates what effective affordable housing can look like,” she said.
“We need to invest necessary dollars, land, and make zoning codes feasible for projects like Brownsville to close this gap,” said Lord. “When I say households earning up to about $75,000 a year that’s medical assistants, that’s everyone in the service industry. Hotel housekeepers, hotel workers, everyone working in bars and restaurants--it is logistics and supply chain, it spans our different economic sectors.”
“We can’t forget these workers, as they are vital to our economy,” Lord added.
Lord’s research highlights a significant affordable housing gap in Miami-Dade, with a shortfall of 90,000 affordable rental units.
Read the reports here: Accelerating Affordable Housing: The Funds Miami-Dade Needs Now & Miami-Dade Housing Needs Assessment 2023: Top Takeaways