The Miami-Dade County is facing a deficit of more than 100,000 affordable housing units, a gap that a new coalition of financial institutions, foundations, and public entities seeks to close with more agile funding and creative solutions like the so-called "backyard houses," reported Telemundo 51.
"We have a serious problem: we need more than 100,000 units of affordable housing for people who are living a normal life, they are working hard, but still cannot afford the cost of living here," warned Annie Lord, Executive Director of Miami Homes for All.
A study from the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida, released a few days earlier, estimates the deficit at 118,000 units for households earning up to 80% of the area's median income, and over 143,000 for those with lower incomes.
The mayor Daniella Levine Cava acknowledged the magnitude of the problem, although she highlighted the progress made during her administration: "Under my leadership, we have already created 34,000 affordable housing units, and we are also in the process of reaching nearly 50,000."
To expedite the response, more than 40 institutions—banks, foundations, and public agencies—have formed an alliance aimed at streamlining loans and other financing mechanisms.
"It's a much quicker and more efficient way to invest loans and other financing in affordable housing," Lord explained about the coalition.
The county also promotes what are known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs for short, a particularly relevant option for homeowners in unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade—outside municipalities like Hialeah, Miami Beach, or Coral Gables, which have their own regulations.
These are secondary structures that can be built on top of a garage, such as a separate little house on the property or as a conversion of part of the main dwelling.
“For example, above a garage or a small house at the back, or a part of the house itself, that would be the most efficient for rental,” Lord explained.
To access this option, the lot must be at least 7,500 square feet, and the unit must measure between 400 and 800 square feet in the applicable residential districts. Only the owner can apply for the use certificate, which must be renewed annually.
The county offers the ADU Blueprint for Homeowners program with pre-approved designs to simplify the permitting process.
"Those who have the land, we have a new rule and we provide examples on how to build, as well as loans to assist in completing them," noted Levine Cava.
The urgency is palpable in communities like Homestead, where the nonprofit Touching Miami with Love —which has been helping families with food and services for three decades— plans to make a historic leap: constructing 100 affordable apartments in a five-story building, with an investment of 53 million dollars and a projected start in 2027.
"We have seen residents forced to move out of the community, including employees who cannot afford the rent where they grew up," lamented Trina Harris from the organization.
The project targets families who currently allocate an unsustainable portion of their income to rent, in a county where the advertised median rent hovers around $2,900 per month, compared to a per capita income of only $39,000 annually.
"These are truly affordable homes, where families do not have to spend more than 60 percent of their income on rent, because they cannot survive that way," Harris emphasized.
For Cuban families who share housing with relatives or rent efficiencies in areas like Hialeah, Kendall, Westchester, and Homestead, ADUs can represent an alternative housing solution, while property owners can generate income through legal rentals in areas where they are permitted.
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