On February 12, 2020, Commissioner Steven Meiner placed a standing item to discuss homelessness and ways to address the issue in our community.

The Homeless Outreach Services Division provides shelter placement, family reunifcation assistance, temporary employment, identifcation document replacement services, extended supportive services, care coordination, and housing referrals for homeless persons in Miami Beach. The Division's operating budget for Fiscal Year 2023 is $2,363,000.

Since the last Public Safety & Neighborhood Quality of Life update, the Homeless Outreach Services Division has taken the following measures to address homelessness:

1.    Additional Contracted Shelter Beds

Lotus House specializes in evidence-based trauma counseling and resolution, health and wellness programming, and educational advancement for women and children. In April 2022, to further address the needs of the women in our community, the City of Miami Beach and the Sundari Foundation, Inc. (Lotus House) executed an agreement for four (4) emergency shelter beds. The Homeless Outreach Services Division has since seen an influx of females requesting emergency shelter and homeless-related services. The shortage of female beds in the Continuum of Care (CoC) posed a challenge to assisting females with ending their homelessness. The Administration negotiated two (2) additional shelter beds at Lotus House, increasing the total bed roster to six (6) beds.

The City of Miami Beach currently contracts with four (4) emergency shelter providers and one (1) substance abuse treatment provider to offer shelter placement services to the City's homeless population. Current providers include Miami Rescue Mission, Sundari Foundation, Inc. (Lotus House), Camillus House, Salvation Army, and New Hope C.O.R.P.S.

Below is a breakdown of the beds the City purchases:

2.    Homeless Employment Program

Favela Miami, a not-for-profit organization, was contracted by the City of Miami Beach to provide temporary employment services to homeless individuals that accepted shelter services. The Administration reviewed program goals with Favela Miami, and the agreement’s scope of services and budget have been amended to allow sheltered clients to be temporarily employed with the Sanitation Division of the City's Public Works Department and to include resume-building assistance and referrals to temporary job agencies. This amendment will connect homeless clients to additional resources to promote permanent employment transition.

3.    Spring Break Efforts

The Homeless Outreach Services Team conducted street outreach and engagement during the four (4) weekends of March 2023 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. to offer additional services to the homeless population during Spring Break. Outreach efforts resulted in 294 client encounters, two (2) family reunifications, and one (1) shelter placement.

4.    Grant Agreement with the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust for $125,000

The City of Miami Beach executed a grant agreement with the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust (“Homeless Trust”) for $125,000 to address and reduce homelessness. Under this agreement, the Homeless Trust will facilitate hostel placements for single, homeless persons employed in the City for whom a traditional shelter placement may adversely impact the client's employment. The Homeless Trust will also offer shared housing support via housing navigator(s) that will coordinate shared housing, the move-in process, and follow-up case management for up to twelve (12) homeless clients.

5.    Camillus House-Lazarus Program

The Camillus House-Lazarus Project resumed outreach in the City on March 10, 2023. The specialized project provides services five (5) days a week to the severely persistently mentally ill identified by the City’s Homeless Outreach Services Team. 

6.    Specialized Outreach

New Hope C.O.R.P.S. (“New Hope”) provides evening street outreach and engagement to the homeless population of Miami Beach seven (7) nights a week from 7 p.m. - 3 a.m. Contracted services include recovery housing for clients in treatment, and pre-treatment and Level 2 residential (voluntary and/or involuntary Marchman Act) treatment beds.

The following are reported service numbers for New Hope Specialized Outreach, encompassing October 1, 2022 - February 28, 2023:

This agreement has also facilitated the placement of two (2) individuals into Residential Treatment by Miami Beach Homeless Resource Officers through the Marchman Act Program.

The following are FY23 service numbers for Homeless Outreach Services, encompassing October 1, 2022 – February 28, 2023: