Miami-Dade funds new center to address homelessness
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A new homeless shelter offering emergency housing for up to 80 people is set to open in Liberty City next month.
Why it matters: The center, for which the county commission approved funding this week, will provide low-barrier entry and more flexible services for the thousands of county residents experiencing homelessness.
- It will also address the state's anti-camping law, which prohibits residents from sleeping in public and empowers others to sue their local government if the law isn't upheld.
Case in point: Pets will be welcomed, as will "non-traditional household[s]," keeping couples or extended family members together without separation, according to the measure, provided to Axios by the Homeless Trust.
- Few shelters allow pets, which is often cited as a reason people decide against staying in shelters, as they don't want to abandon their pets.
Between the lines: The facility, dubbed the Better Way Navigation Center in the agreement, will aim to provide short-term housing and lead folks experiencing homelessness toward something more stable.
Follow the money: The county set aside more than $10.6 million over the next seven years for the center, which Better Way of Miami will oversee, per the agreement.
- The funds will come from the county's food and beverage tax, which levies a 1% sales tax at certain restaurants.
The big picture: There are about 3,500 people experiencing homelessness in Miami-Dade, according to the county's official counts, which look at those living on the street or in shelters.
- But a Miami Herald analysis of U.S. Census data estimated 66,000 other county residents, including 11,000 children, are living in unstable housing, such as spare couches or extended-stay motels.
Meanwhile, community members have been pushing county officials to approve a mental health facility that would address the county's jail population and the growing unhoused population.
- Officials are set to discuss the facility Wednesday at 11:30am.