Miami affordable housing initiatives target local workers

Miami faces increasing pressure to provide affordable housing as rents climb and homelessness rises.

Plans for major housing towers near Jackson Memorial Hospital would bring over 800 apartments and prioritize local healthcare workers, targeting those earning 50% to 120% of the area's median income with capped rents.

Nonprofits like Camillus House and The Caring Place are seeing higher demand from seniors, veterans, and working families, offering not just shelter but job training and life skills support. Projects converting sites like the former DeSoto Square Mall into affordable apartments show creative solutions at work. Together, these efforts reveal both the scale of Miami's housing crisis and the varied strategies — large developments, nonprofit support, and adaptive reuse of land — moving the region forward.

Kendrick Moore, who had to leave the military due to an injury and became homeless, bounced back with the help of Camillus House. He posed inside one Camillus House kitchen in Miami on Friday Oct. 11, 2024. By Alexia Fodere

NO. 1: THESE NONPROFITS PROVIDE HOUSING TO MIAMI’S HOMELESS. NEW PRESSURES CREATING NEW DEMANDS

Miami-Dade County has many nonprofits focused on addressing homelessness. | Published October 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Rebecca San Juan

At 59, Monica Colson never imagined homelessness would find its way into her life. But mounting bills coupled with an unexpected health scare created a domino effect, leaving her unable to make rent. Now, with help from The Caring Place, she is settling into a new apartment. By Carla Mendez/FIU

NO. 2: FINDING HOPE AFTER HOMELESSNESS: A MIAMI WOMAN’S ROAD TO RECOVERY

“I was fighting to hold on to something that needed to be condemned, but it was the only place I had to call mine.” | Published December 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Carla Mendez

An aerial view of Jackson Medical Towers, at 1500 NW 12th Avenue in Miami, Florida on Jan. 2, 2025. The Public Health Trust of Jackson Health System has approved a deal with Related Urban to demolish two existing towers, known as Jackson Medical Towers, and construct affordable workforce housing and an extended stay hotel. By AL DIAZ

NO. 3: CAN THESE TOWERS HELP AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS IN MIAMI? TAKE A LOOK AT THE PLANS

The complex includes hundreds of rentals and a hotel. | Published January 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante Rebecca San Juan

An affordable housing apartment complex is planned for the DeSoto Square Mall property where currently storm debris is being processed. By Tiffany Tompkins

NO. 4: WANT TO LIVE WHERE A MALL USED TO BE? AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS COMING TO THIS FLORIDA AREA

Check out what’s planned. | Published January 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jason Dill

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.