MIAMI HOMES FOR ALL CONVENES EMERGING DEVELOPER CONFERENCE TO GROW AFFORDABLE HOUSING PIPELINE IN MIAMI-DADE

Miami Homes For All (MHFA) convened public, private and community leaders for its Emerging Developer Conference, an all-day event designed to equip first-time and early-stage developers with the tools and partnerships needed to build and preserve affordable housing across Miami-Dade County.

Held May 4 at the Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown, the conference comes as the region faces a shortage of more than 90,000 affordable housing units. The event brought together elected officials, housing experts, developers and community stakeholders to focus on expanding access to development and helping small property owners move projects from concept to construction. The event was powered by Wells Fargo, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, the City of Miami’s Omni CRA and Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, The Miami Foundation, and Bank of America, and made possible with support from United Way, Bradesco Bank, Healthy Housing Foundation, Health Foundation of South Florida, and Coastal Construction.

“This is about expanding who gets to participate in development,” said Annie Lord, executive director of Miami Homes For All. “There are people across Miami-Dade who own property and want to build something lasting in their communities. Our role is to connect them to the resources and partners needed to make that possible.”

The conference featured remarks from City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, along with panels and presentations on development fundamentals, financing, navigating the approval process, community engagement, and lessons learned. Attendees also participated in one-on-one legal mini-clinics with land use attorneys from firms including Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes, Bilzin Sumberg, Caldera Law, Greenberg Traurig, and Gunster, as well as small-group sessions with experienced developers.

Miami Homes For All unveiled the Small Scale Affordable Development Alliance (SSADA) at the conference, marking the initiative’s public launch. SSADA serves as a single point of entry for emerging developers and small property owners, connecting them to public agencies, philanthropy, community organizations and development partners to support new and rehabbed affordable housing. The alliance also includes an intake and information portal to help property owners assess opportunities and navigate next steps. 

The conference also highlighted early examples of small-scale projects led by local property owners, underscoring both the challenges and opportunities of building affordable housing at the neighborhood level.

“Our housing crisis requires more accessible pathways into development, particularly for small property owners. Small- to mid-scale projects are a viable way to build housing at the neighborhood level,” Lord said. “By supporting community-based developers, we can build more housing while strengthening neighborhoods and preserving what makes Miami unique.”

About Miami Homes for All
Founded in 1985, Miami Homes For All’s mission has been to ensure that everyone in Miami-Dade has a safe, affordable place to call home. We are especially concerned with households earning less than $75,000 per year, because we’re missing over 90,000 units priced for those households. Our approach is to improve the whole housing ecosystem – policy, finance, navigation, developer capacity – so that our community builds more affordable housing, preserves what we have, and increases residents’ access to it.

Learn more at miamihomesforall.org