DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

The Neighborhood Services Department is divided into five divisions, Administration, Code Compliance, and Community Resource and Outreach, Office of Community Services, and Housing and Community Development.

Administration

The Administration Division’s function is to coordinate, direct, support and evaluate each operational area to ensure the department’s goals and objectives are implemented and met to the highest level of quality possible and are in adherence with all governing rules, regulations, policy and administrative directives.

Code Compliance

The Code Compliance Division is responsible for seeking compliance with certain provisions contained in the City of Miami Beach Code. The goal is to ensure full compliance with those ordinances, regulations, and codes within the Division’s jurisdiction.  The Division works with neighborhood associations and the business community in an effort to educate them regarding the codes and regulations that most commonly affect them. Code Compliance became a division of the Neighborhood Services Department approximately five years ago. Though the goals of the Division have remained the same, there has been a cultural shift to a more responsive and customer-/business-friendly approach to compliance. Various initiatives have been implemented to foster this shift.

Community Resource and Outreach

The Division’s mission is to provide a high level of customer service and accurate information in an expedited fashion to the public and City departments. The Division provides residents and neighborhood groups with a convenient communications link to reach their local government.  A vital effort of this division is to create a centralized point where Miami Beach residents are able to have easier access to City services and receive excellent customer service.

• A complaint tracking system directs requests to the department/division able to handle the issue and tracks the request electronically until resolved
• 24-hour access through a Customer Relationship Management system which handles citizens inquiries and services requests by providing accurate logging of information, on-line 24 hours a day 7 days a week
• Technical assistance to Neighborhood Associations
• Increase resident satisfaction with employee contact
• Facilitate interdepartmental initiatives and resources by working collaboratively 
• Effective outreach and education to neighborhoods
• Resolve neighborhood issues or concerns
• Promote public/private partnerships for quality of life issues
• Promote civic participation through Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA)
• Promote environmental awareness through clean-up
• Facilitate civic awareness through MB voter registration drives
• PSA on TV20 promoting services availablE
• Development of Neighborhood Resources online with FAQ
• Partnered with Condo Ombudsman’s Office State of Florida to conduct various workshops.

Office of Community Services

The Office of Community Services (OCS) provides direct services and advocacy for children, families, elder residents and homeless individuals in our community. The OCS was created with the merging of the Office of Children’s/Elder Affairs, Office of Homeless Coordination and the Log Cabin Training Center. Our primary target populations include:

• Homeless (individuals, families and youth transitioning from foster care
• Youth
• Elders
• Families

Through partnerships, coalitions and special initiatives, the OCS serves and advocates for these populations with the primary focus on accessing services offered by community-based providers. Examples of these strategies and direct services include:

• Identifying, assessing and placing homeless individuals and families in shelter and providing case management services to guide placements through the Continuum of Collaboration as a means of ending homelessness
• Providing emergency rent assistance for families and individuals facing eviction and homelessness (as funded through the State’s Emergency Food & Shelter Program)
• Coordinating monthly community service projects and public workshops targeting our service populations
• Implementing the Truancy Prevention Program serving 50 youth and their families
• Conducting home visits and assessments for youth and families facing educational, familial and service problems
• Providing advocacy for those youth facing educational problems including the need for testing and placement in special education programming
• Identifying grants and resources for the City’s youth and homeless service providers in order to bring additional resources for our City’s youth, families, homeless and others
• Providing referral services for residents needing to access a variety of services including legal and medical care, employment, public entitlement programs, child care, affordable housing and more
• Providing advocacy before the Special Master on behalf of elder residents facing code violations.
• Providing training and visioning assistance for community and faith-based providers.
• Coordinating the implementation of a Service Partnership among providers for youth ages 15 to 18 focusing on truancy prevention efforts that creates a coordinated, culturally-competent and outcomes-based system of delivery 

Housing and Community Development Division

The Housing and Community Development Division’s primary mission is to administer and monitor the activities funded through the federal grants that the City receives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the State Housing Initiatives  Partnership (SHIP) program.