Miami Homes For All (MHFA) has launched the Small-Scale Affordable Development Alliance (SSADA), a new collaborative initiative designed to help local landowners, nonprofits and community stakeholders build and rehab smaller-scale affordable housing developments. These include multifamily apartment buildings, quadplexes, duplexes, and accessory dwelling units.
Read more Tax Collector announces reform of tax certificate sale process
The alliance brings together public, philanthropic, nonprofit and development-sector partners to create a more coordinated pathway for small-scale affordable housing development in Miami-Dade County. Participating stakeholders include Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, community-based organizations, The Miami Foundation, Health Foundation of South Florida and Enterprise Community Partners.
The initiative includes a new online intake and information portal, www.buildaffordablemiami.org, the first step for a local property owner or emerging developers to connect to the alliance’s resources, which include technical assistance, workshops, and development services to help them navigate the entire development process, from predevelopment through construction.
“Miami’s future growth has to include the communities that built Miami in the first place,” said Annie Lord, executive director, Miami Homes for All. “You can’t tear out the roots and still be Miami. The people, neighborhoods and cultural communities that shaped this city are part of what makes Miami economically dynamic and globally unique. This initiative is about creating pathways for longtime residents, nonprofits, local landowners and mission-aligned emerging developers to participate in that growth instead of being displaced by it.”
The alliance was developed following several years of work alongside local property owners navigating the affordable housing development process. Organizers say the effort is intended to simplify and coordinate what can otherwise be a fragmented and difficult process for first-time or small-scale developers, whether they are breaking ground on a new build or rehabilitating an existing structure. Support spans the full development arc, from zoning and financing to construction, with each participant receiving a personalized roadmap for their project.
“What makes this effort unique is that we are connecting the different pieces that property owners typically have to navigate on their own,” said Lisa Martinez, director of Small-Scale Development for Miami Homes for All. “We’re creating a coordinated entry point where landowners can better understand their options, connect with trusted support systems and begin exploring what development could look like for their property and community.”
This program is expanding countywide, but initially focused on neighborhoods experiencing significant displacement pressures and rapid gentrification, including Little Haiti, Allapattah, Brownsville, Liberty City, North Miami and Overtown.
Among the early projects supported through the initiative are a four-unit rehabilitation project in Allapattah led by local property owner Vaughan Johnson and “Casa Lynda,” a planned 20-unit affordable housing development by local landowner Lynda Harris on a formerly vacant lot.
Organizers say the alliance is designed not only to support affordable housing production, but also to help local owners remain invested in the neighborhoods they helped shape.
Read more Tax Collector on Property Tax
For more information about the Small-Scale Affordable Development Alliance or to explore participation opportunities, visit www.buildaffordablemiami.org.
About Miami Homes for All
Founded in 1985, Miami Homes For All’s mission has been to ensure that everyone in Miami-Dade has a safe, affordable place to call home.
We are especially concerned with households earning less than $75,000 per year, because we’re missing over 90,000 units priced for those households. Our approach is to improve the whole housing ecosystem – policy, finance, navigation, developer capacity – so that our community builds more affordable housing, preserves what we have, and increases residents’ access to it.
Learn more at miamihomesforall.org.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected] or [email protected].