Miami-Dade votes to buy Cutler Bay hotel for seniors transitioning out of homelessness

A plan to purchase a hotel in Cutler Bay and convert it into subsidized housing for low-income seniors passed resoundingly in the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday.

As the Oct. 1 deadline approaches for a state law that will prohibit public camping , Miami-Dade is working to free up housing capacity for its 1,000-person unsheltered population. Although the hotel conversion plan was in the works before state lawmakers introduced the legislation, getting the building up and running will help the county get people off the streets at a crucial time. Starting next month, anyone sleeping in public areas could face jail time.

Formerly a La Quinta hotel, the Cutler Bay property will house at least 130 residents over the age of 55. The Homeless Trust, Miami-Dade’s homeless agency, will administer the project.

Despite the objections of Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, who represents Cutler Bay, the county commission voted 11-2 for the measure; Cohen Higgins and Commissioner René García opposed it.

The project has been controversial, especially in Cutler Bay. The town had previously opposed the La Quinta purchase, arguing that the proposed location, 10821 Caribbean Blvd., was a bad choice for a housing project and that the acquisition could impede local development.

Compromises struck with the Homeless Trust ultimately brought many of the project’s critics onboard. Guarantees from the Trust that the property would only be inhabited by seniors and would never have a needle exchange or turn into a shelter assuaged concerns, as did promises of background checks for prospective tenants.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Cohen Higgins continued to question the project’s $14 million price tag — $4 million above the property’s appraised value. The Homeless Trust has defended the purchase price, arguing that a lack of viable alternatives, as well as unavoidable fees that come with buying the hotel franchise, have driven up costs.

Nevertheless, supporters contend that the move is badly needed for seniors who lack stable, affordable housing and are otherwise living in the county’s overcrowded shelter system.

“Our shelters are bursting at the seams,” said Ron Book, chairman of the Homeless Trust.

Ahead of Oct. 1, the county needs all the shelter space it can get. About 2,700 people currently live in shelters in Miami-Dade. In transitioning some of them to more permanent housing, Book said, the Homeless Trust can make space for people who are still living on the streets.

While the Cutler Bay senior housing project won’t come online before October, Book hopes that it will be operational before the year’s end. Under the state law, on Jan. 1, residents will be able to sue local governments that don’t enforce the public sleeping ban.

Elaine Comer, 62, attended the meeting Tuesday to show her support for the measure. The former custodian said that she fell into homelessness in 2007 following a contentious divorce. Now, she works for Better Way for Miami, Inc. Housing Programs, a nonprofit that provides housing and support services to homeless people struggling with substance abuse.

Seniors, she argued, are particularly in need of affordable housing.

“They’ve worked all their lives,” she said, pointing out that many seniors don’t want to burden their families with the responsibilities of their care, while others have no family at all. Comer noted that rising living costs often outpace fixed-income benefits, pushing some seniors toward housing instability and homelessness.

She lauded the Cutler Bay hotel proposal. “What will happen to these seniors otherwise?” she mused. “They’ll end up on the street.”

This story was produced with financial support from supporters including The Green Family Foundation Trust and Ken O’Keefe, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.