Gala raises $2 million for Miami-Dade’s homeless community

Miami-Dade County’s homeless population might soon benefit from new support after Miami’s former mayor raised close to $2 million for a local nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness.

Francis Suarez, the former mayor of Miami, hosted the third annual Miami’s Ball to End Homelessness on Saturday evening at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel.

With some of the city’s most prominent figures in attendance — including all five city commissioners and some county commissioners — donors raised almost $2 million for Hermanos de La Calle, a Miami-based homelessness nonprofit.

The nonprofit works to end homelessness by providing Miami’s unhoused population with a stable living situation — whether that be in hotels or houses.

Narciso Muñoz, one of its founders, said he hopes to use the money to get 200 homeless people off the street and into beds. According to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, 3,570 people, including those in shelters, were homeless in the county as of August. That’s a 7% decrease from the previous year.

Part of the $2 million will go toward renting 10 new houses. The additional homes would bring the group’s total to 40. The money will also go toward quick, short-term housing like hotel stays, he said.

“The plan is permanent housing,” he said. “That’s the magic word.”

The contributions included a $300,000 joint donation from Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez and Miami Commissioner Ralph Rosado.

Florida-born billionaire and hedge-fund CEO Ken Griffin donated, too, with his philanthropic arm, Griffin Catalyst, giving $500,000 at each of the three galas, Suarez said.

Suarez has hosted the gala every year since its inception in 2024.

“Regardless of whether I’m the mayor or not, it’s a mission that I felt called to try to accomplish,” Suarez said.

“I think we have the capacity to reach out to all of them individually, compassionately, connect with them and try to find ways to convince them to find ways to integrate themselves back into society. … They’re all human beings with stories.”