Here’s How Unhoused Residents Can qualify for Miami-Dade County’s New $10M Homeless Shelter

Amid Miami’s deepening housing crisis, the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust announced major plans to expand shelter access for unhoused residents — while also outlining how people in need can enroll in the new services.

The shelter is only available to people who are verified homeless, which means they have had contact with outreach teams or intake and have been interred into the homeless management information system.

“Adults, that’s the qualification,” said Ryan Roelans, CEO of Better Way of Miami. “It’s about being as low barrier as possible and taking away any of those barriers that have kept these individuals from being able to take advantage of shelter beds.” 

The 80-bed facility, named the Navigation Center, is expected to open this month and will be operated by the nonprofit Better Way of Miami in partnership with the Trust. 

Unlike many shelters, residents will not be required to be sober before entering. The goal is rooted in the belief that stability has to come before change — to create an environment where people feel comfortable enough to begin accepting help, Roelans explained.

Once residents are enrolled in the facility, case managers and housing navigators will assess their needs and begin connecting them with services provided by more than 40 community providers who are expected to partner with the center, such as medical care, wound care, mental health support, vocational assistance and substance abuse treatment.

“We want them to enjoy their time there,” Roelans said. “We want them to be there at the center and to feel comfortable enough that we can have ongoing interactions with them to wrap around those services.”

Stay tuned for more information on how to contact the new Center. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, call the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Helpline at 877-994-4357.

The plan is to reach people who have often been shut out of shelter systems, including people navigating mental health challenges, substance abuse, long-term homelessness or other barriers, said Ron Book, Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

A $10-million investment over the next seven years, the Center is located in District 2, at 7001 NW 27th Ave. in the Liberty City area, where Commissioner Marleine Bastien helped identify the site, which she said is ideal based on the facility’s size and its potential for renovation to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

“By investing in comprehensive support services, we can improve outcomes for individuals while enhancing the overall quality of life in our neighborhoods,” Bastien said in a statement to Miami Affordable Magazine.

Bastien said residents and business owners throughout the district have voiced concerns about the growing homelessness crisis and its impact on the community, while also expressing a desire for “thoughtful, effective solutions." 

Miami-Dade County recorded 3,728 unhoused people, including about 2,871 living in shelters and 858 living unsheltered, according to the 2025 January Point-in-Time Census.

At the same time, Miami Homes For All reported that the county’s housing shortage is leaving many families financially vulnerable: about half of all households are cost-burdened, including nearly three-quarters of households earning less than $75,000 a year.

The Center will not only assist people experiencing homelessness with access to services and stability but also reassure residents that the district is actively working towards solutions with dignity and support, Bastien said.

Book added a low-barrier shelter is key to transforming this community.

“You have to give them something different, lower barrier entry, fewer rules, in order to hopefully help them get to where they need to be,” Book said.

Book said the center will allow couples and pets to stay together — an approach designed to remove common barriers that often prevent people experiencing homelessness from seeking shelter. He said the Navigation Center has built an on-site kennel to help expand the services and make the facility more accessible. 

A 2016 survey by the National Alliance to End Homelessness found that 22% of people experiencing homelessness reported being unable to enter shelters because pets were not allowed.

Looking ahead, Bastien said she hopes this new endeavor can be utilized as a model to sustainably end homelessness. 

“Success also means creating measurable reductions in chronic homelessness and demonstrating that this model works,” Commissioner Bastien said.

Leading through innovation with the Navigation Center, the team behind the project aims to demonstrate how this model can provide support and services for those in need and ultimately be adapted nationwide. Book said they are a "village that cares" and seeks to help others with a hand up.

“We take care of the least, last, lost and the forgotten,” Book said.

“That’s what we do. We find solutions and we do it together —with care, love and compassion —and services that help reverse years of trauma people have done to themselves. That’s what we do better than anybody else in the country.”