How a partnership with Miami’s Underline park helps the homeless find new lives | Opinion

Miami’s story is one of reinvention — a city that keeps transforming what was once overlooked into what becomes essential.

That spirit of transformation is thriving beneath the Metrorail, where The Underline has turned 120-acres of forgotten land into a connected network of parks, trails and gathering spaces on the 10-mile linear park along U.S. 1.

Now, through CP Works — a new bridge employment program that provides individuals experiencing homelessness with a pathway to self-sufficiency — that same public space is helping people rebuild their lives. And the effort is gaining recognition.

This month, Chapman Partnership and Friends of The Underline, with support from the Lennar Foundation, received the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 NOVO Award for Innovative Excellence.

The award honors a simple but powerful idea: Public spaces can do more than beautify — they can create pathways to stability, dignity and economic opportunity for Miami-Dade residents working to lift themselves out of homelessness.

Through CP Works, participants at Chapman Partnership — which serves vulnerable populations including individuals impacted by homelessness, domestic violence survivors and veterans — are employed as park stewards at The Underline.

The stewards learn landscaping, horticulture and park operations, earning a living wage while gaining essential life skills. Many open bank accounts and secure permanent housing. In turn, they help keep the city’s largest public park safe, green and welcoming for more than two million visitors each year.

This kind of transformation is possible only through strong public-private partnerships. The collaboration empowers Chapman Partnership to expand beyond its traditional role while The Underline continues to innovate.

Public parks and shelters are vital to a city’s well-being. Equally vital are the systems behind them — the partnerships, training programs and opportunities that sustain both people and places.

Consider Marie, one of the first park stewards hired. Within five months, she saved enough to move into her first apartment. Or Levi, who once lived in his car after a sports injury ended his college football career. He’s now gaining work experience and building his résumé.

These are not just stories of survival; they are stories of growth — of people reclaiming stability and finding ways to contribute to their community.

Programs like CP Works show that collaboration is Miami’s greatest resource.

Chapman Partnership brings deep expertise in workforce development and supportive housing. The Underline provides the platform — a living classroom in the heart of the city. And the Lennar Foundation adds the philanthropic bridge that makes innovation possible.

Together, they are not just maintaining a park — they are elevating opportunity in Miami.

As Miami continues to grow, we hope to see more partnerships where missions intersect, resources stretch further and every investment serves multiple goals.

The future of our city depends not only on what we build, but on how we build it — together.

Patrice Gillespie Smith is the president and COO of The Underline Conservancy and Scott Hansel is president and CEO of Chapman Partnership.