Touching Miami with Love is pursuing an estimated $53 million development that would pair housing with an established community campus. Rental rates, application procedures and a firm opening date remain unannounced.
By The Sun Post News Newsroom
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — A nonprofit serving children and families in South Florida is working to address another need identified in its community: affordable housing.
Touching Miami with Love is pursuing a five-story development containing 100 apartments beside its West Homestead campus. The estimated $53 million project would add housing to a property where the organization already provides educational programs and family support.
The proposal could create opportunities for residents struggling to remain near their jobs, their children’s schools and the people they rely on for help.
However, the development remains in preparation. Publicly available information does not establish a definitive occupancy date, and an application period for prospective residents has not been verified.
From Community Programs to Housing
Touching Miami with Love has served Overtown and West Homestead since 1995. Its Homestead campus is located at 1350 SW Fourth Street.
The organization provides after-school activities, summer programs, workforce preparation and assistance to families. Developing apartments would extend that work into an area that can determine whether families remain connected to those services.
Executive Director Trina Harris has explained that a community survey conducted several years ago identified affordable housing as a major concern among participating families.
The organization has also described the difficulty some residents face in remaining in their neighborhoods as living costs rise.
Housing instability can disrupt more than a household’s address. Moving may interrupt school routines, separate parents from childcare arrangements and make it harder to maintain employment. The proposed development seeks to connect housing with an existing network of community support.
What the Proposal Includes
Public documents describe a mixed-income apartment building with one-, two- and three-bedroom units, shared amenities and parking.
The residential development would occupy part of the nonprofit’s property while preserving its community facilities.
Touching Miami with Love also lists a gym, playground, green space and communal areas among the planned amenities. These features reflect the proposal as publicly described and could change as development progresses.
The organization identifies DBC Procida as its development partner.
Locating apartments near a community center could make services more accessible, but proximity alone does not establish which programs residents would receive or whether those services would be included in their rent.
Those operating details will need to be explained before occupancy.
How It Connects to Homestead Gardens
The apartment development, identified as TML Homestead Residences, is connected to the broader Homestead Gardens redevelopment program.
Developer Duvernay + Brooks describes the 100-unit complex as an off-site phase of that effort, to be built on land owned by Touching Miami with Love.
Under the published description, housing would occupy the southern portion of the property through a ground lease. The nonprofit’s offices and community center would remain on the northern portion.
The distinction matters because the larger redevelopment includes other phases with separate unit counts and schedules. Figures associated with those phases should not be presented as the size or construction timetable of the TML building.
Who Might Qualify?
The developer’s description anticipates a combination of apartments associated with the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, or RAD, and units intended for households earning up to 80% of area median income.
That structure does not mean every apartment would carry the same rent or be available through the same application process.
Eligibility could depend on the applicable housing program, household income, family size and other requirements established for the development.
The 80% threshold refers to an income benchmark for the area, with limits that vary by household size. It does not mean that rent would equal 80% of an applicant’s income.
Before prospective tenants can assess their options, the development team will need to publish the applicable income limits, rental rates, documentation requirements and selection procedures.
The Schedule Needs Clarification
Public descriptions contain timelines prepared at different stages of planning.
Touching Miami with Love’s housing webpage retains an earlier reference to beginning construction in 2025. The developer’s project description lists a closing scheduled for December 2026, while recent reporting points to a possible construction start in 2027.
Those differences make an updated schedule necessary before any milestone can be treated as definitive.
A financial closing, groundbreaking and opening to residents are separate events. None should be confused with apartments being available immediately.
The information reviewed also does not establish that a waiting list is open or that units can be reserved.
Flood Planning Is Part of the Development
Flood resilience is another consideration.
Miami-Dade documentation identifies the property within an area evaluated under the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and describes a review of alternatives and mitigation measures.
The developer states that the broader redevelopment phases are designed above base flood elevation and include sustainable-building certification goals.
Those measures do not eliminate flood risk. Their effectiveness will depend on the final design, construction and maintenance of the property.
For future residents, building safety and ongoing expenses will matter alongside the initial rental rate.
A Meaningful Addition, With Limits
One hundred apartments could make a substantial difference for the households able to move into them. A single development, however, cannot resolve the housing challenges facing Homestead or Miami-Dade County.
The project’s contribution would be to add housing options while testing whether nonprofit-owned land and development partnerships can support residents who want to remain in their community.
Its affordability will ultimately depend on more than its designation. Rental terms, income requirements and the length of affordability restrictions will determine whom the apartments serve and for how long.
What Residents Should Watch For
The next milestones include financial closing, any remaining approvals, construction contracting and an updated building schedule.
Prospective residents should also look for announcements identifying the property manager, application process, rental rates and anticipated occupancy date.
Until those details are published, families should not assume that applications or reservations are being accepted.
Touching Miami with Love’s proposal brings housing into its broader community mission. The next test is delivering completed apartments with clear access requirements and costs that allow residents to build lasting stability.
