Affordability the main goal of Miami-Dade housing projects under construction right now
MIAMI – County dollars are being put to use to create affordable housing for thousands of people. CBS4's Ashley Dyer went along with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to look at some of the projects under construction right now. The goal of the new construction: affordability.
For years only people making the bare minimum could qualify for affordable housing but with so many families struggling, the standards are changing. Now families of four making anywhere from $29,000-$136,000 can qualify for affordable housing.
"People can't afford to stay here. They're living in cars, they're leaving town or doubling up," says Cava.
Finding a reasonably priced place to live isn't just difficult, it's nearly impossible even in some of Miami-Dade's most affordable neighborhoods like Little Havana.
"The affordability of this neighborhood has existed for years. That's changing," says Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins.
The mayor is proposing $500,000,000 in the 2023 budget to tackle the housing crisis.
"It's going to help 10s of thousands more residents to stay, to fuel our economy, to keep their families whole," says Cava.
Under the HOMES Plan, millions of dollars will go towards preserving and revitalizing buildings like The Eileen, an art deco building from the 30s.
"I can tell you what happens. We had four families working here. All poor working families but they had a roof over their head. If a landlord tore this down and built luxury units, these people would be living nowhere near work, nowhere near public transportation and nowhere near jobs," says Higgins.
And for landlords who can't afford to make necessary upgrades without raising rent, the count will do it for you.
"It's a subsidy to the landlord to make a commitment to subsidies for a period of time," says Cava.
"The only way to keep these units affordable is to preserve them," explains Higgins.
Near Loan Depot Park, an 800-unit apartment complex is expanding to three times the size and it's getting a major face lift.
"Housing affordability is determined by HUD. They're gearing it towards 1/3 of your income and that's something that can support our working families," says Cava.
The mayor telling us more than 32,000 affordable and workforce housing units are going to be available within the next year.
"We've put all of this on steroids to get it done as quickly as possible," she says.
And the people eligible to live in the new construction will be much different than before.
"It's not just those at the lower end of the economic scale. It's every day working people, schoolteachers, police officers. We have the opportunity, so we have the obligation," she says.
In addition to that, under the HOMES Plan, up to $1,500 will be given to thousands of families who are behind on bills. The county will also put more than $10,000,000 towards working with developers who haven't been able to complete new construction due to an increase in the cost of goods. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program will also be expanded to help more middle-class families qualify.
The housing crisis is leaving many desperate for help. That's why CBS News Miami wants to share your stories to show the crisis you're in or how you navigated the system. We will highlight these issues and work to get answers and solutions. Send us an email at housing@cbs.com.