Miami Habitat History
In 1989 the Miami affiliate of Habitat for Humanity was born. With a small but dedicated workforce comprised solely of volunteers and sponsors, the new Miami Habitat completed four homes in West Perrine during that first year alone. The next few years brought more volunteers and more partners – building bonds within the community one step at a time.

The Jimmy Carter Work Project came to riot-torn Liberty City in 1991 to help rejuvenate the community from within, infusing pride through homeownership and spreading the “theology of the hammer” – the concept that true religion mandates that we put our faith and love into action and that finding common ground and using a hammer can be an instrument to manifest God's love. Love is a powerful force and at the end of seven days, 14 homes stood as proud evidence of that fact.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, a massive Category 5 hurricane, roared through South Florida becoming the costliest disaster in US history. The 165 mph winds proved to be no match for the 27 well-built Habitat houses in South Dade at the time: none sustained any structural damage.

Since Hurricane Andrew, with faith in God and through His help, nearly 200 homes were built for displaced hurricane victims. This number included over 40 houses in Goulds built on a donated 10-acre parcel and more than 90 additional homes in a South Miami Heights subdivision called Habitat Villas.

After several years of hurricane rebuilding in the southern end of the county, Miami Habitat redirected its focus to the distressed inner city neighborhoods of Liberty City, Little Haiti, and Overtown. Habitat’s “Rebuilding Our Communities” initiative, which kicked off in 1997, brought over 90 homes to needy neighborhoods; block by block these communities were revitalized with love and hard work as homes replaced vacant lots. Now you can see and hear children playing in their yards, their voices carrying a message of hope. Currently, in Overtown, which has a 4% homeownership rate – the lowest in the county – Miami Habitat is building its first two-story homes. In the next two years, Habitat plans to build an additional 60 houses in the core urban communities of Overtown, Liberty City, and Little Haiti.

While building continues in the City of Miami, Habitat for Humanity is also hard at work in rural South Dade building Jordan Commons, a model community based on sustainable development and energy-efficient homes. With 110 completed homes and 77 more planned, it is the largest Habitat for Humanity project worldwide. In Jordan Commons, thirteen new homes are in the beginning stages of construction as well as a Family Resource Center that will become the focal point and gathering place of the community.

Habitat communities now exist in Liberty City, Little Haiti, Little River, Overtown, Highland Park, South Miami, West Perrine, South Miami Heights, Goulds, Princeton, Homestead and Florida City. Almost 600 low-income families have been able to fulfill their dreams by becoming first-time homeowners and moving into Habitat homes throughout Miami-Dade County.