City of Miami Beach Joins “Keep Safe Miami”

(Miami Beach, FL) Feb 17, 2021 -

Today, the City of Miami Beach announced its participation in a new “Keep Safe Miami” pilot program that will equip affordable housing owners and operators with tools to assess their buildings’ resilience to climate change and natural disasters. The program will also provide actionable strategies and guidance on financing to address these vulnerabilities.

“The impacts of climate change and extreme-weather conditions are increasing, and a number of these units are aging, without consideration of climate related risks,” shared Miami Beach Chief Resilience Officer Amy Knowles. “Investing in these properties is ultimately about protecting people from hazards while also making homes more valuable.”

“Resilient affordable housing” and “preparing your property” are both actions within the Resilient305 Strategy — a partnership among Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami. According to Climate Central, Miami Beach ranks 11^th in the nation for projected coastal flood risks faced by affordable housing units in 2050, while Florida’s affordable housing stock ranks fifth among the states.

Participating affordable housing properties owned by the City of Miami Beach will be participating in the pilot, including the London House Apartments, Madeleine Village Apartments, Neptune Apartments, Lottie Apartments and Coral Apartments. The application will also be open to all affordable housing operators in Miami Beach.

“For affordable housing property owners and tenants, dealing with flooding and preparing for extreme weather events are significant stressors on top of worrying about their economic situation,” noted Miami Beach Director of Housing & Community Services Maria Ruiz. “I’m excited we will be participating in this program to reduce flood risk for the most vulnerable populations in our city.”

The program was developed by Enterprise Community Partners, along with a consortium of partners.

“Miami Beach has always been a city that prioritizes and protects its community — including my own family, who sought refuge here from the violence and poverty of the 19^th century Russian shtetls,” said Laurie Schoeman, National Director, Resilience, Enterprise Community Partners. “Throughout the generations, affordable multifamily homes have served as the building blocks of this city. Keep Safe Miami will ensure owners and operators have the tools and resources to continue that tradition as we confront our changing climate head-on.”

Keep Safe Miami will first help affordable housing owners prioritize the most at-risk buildings in their portfolios, then provide actionable strategies and financing recommendations to ensure their properties and residents can be protected. The tools will be provided free-of-charge and will be accompanied by a series of trainings.