Homeless Assistance

Our team works across the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County to connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness with the support they need to achieve stability and independence.

Core Services

• Countywide Outreach & Placement
  We actively engage with individuals and families living unsheltered, offering information, referrals, and transportation to temporary or permanent housing, as well as to appropriate rehabilitation or treatment programs.
• Support for Veterans
  We provide targeted assistance to veterans and their families facing housing instability. By connecting them with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Miami-Dade Homeless Continuum of Care, we help open pathways to employment, housing, healthcare, and mental health services.
• Emergency Weather Response
  During inclement weather, we coordinate the evacuation of unsheltered individuals and transport them to emergency shelters to ensure their safety.
• Document Replacement & Mental Health Support
  We help replace essential documents such as birth certificates and state IDs. We also assist with the mental health evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals facing psychiatric challenges while homeless.
• Discharge Planning & Transitional Support
  In collaboration with the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, Jackson Health System, the City of Miami Police Department, and other partners, we coordinate discharge procedures for homeless individuals exiting jails, hospitals, and mental health facilities. Our focus is to ensure they leave with necessary medications and are connected to ongoing support services.

This permit allows the City to manage large group feedings in our public spaces with advance notice, ensuring a safe and sanitary environment for our citizens. This also allows Homeless Outreach to provide robust services during the street feedings. If you choose to participate in large group feedings, please follow CDC guidelines. We thank you for your efforts to feed the homeless and less fortunate within the City of Miami.

To apply for a large group feeding permit, please click here: Large Group Feedings

The City of Miami is deeply committed to honoring those who have served our country by making Veteran homelessness a top priority across all programs and services.  We partner with Miami VA Health Care System,Operation Sacred Trust, andCAHSD Veteran Services Program

Our Commitment to Veterans

• Identifying Veterans in Need
  We work to identify all Veterans experiencing homelessness across the city and ensure they are connected to services without delay.
• Immediate Shelter
  Any Veteran facing unsheltered homelessness who wants shelter is provided with immediate access to a safe place to stay.
• Targeted Transitional Housing
  Transitional housing is offered only in specific, service-intensive cases where additional support is necessary.
• Rapid Access to Permanent Housing
  Our goal is to help Veterans transition quickly into stable, long-term housing with the support they need to thrive.
• Preventing Future Homelessness
  We maintain strong partnerships, strategic plans, and dedicated resources to prevent Veteran homelessness—ensuring every Veteran has a safety net before a crisis occurs.

If you or a Veteran you know is in need of assistance, please contact us today. Help is available.

Born out of an acknowledgment that many of the individuals discharged from crisis units with anti-psychotic medication fail to take their medication, resulting in relapses, repeat ER and mental health hospital visits, and interactions with the police. The Lazarus Project began in August 2014 and was designed to provide much needed medical and behavioral healthcare to those still living on the streets. The Lazarus Project engages, assesses and administers medical treatment, including medication observation for previously prescribed psychotropic medications – on the street.  The Project also monitors patient progress with a goal of stabilization for engagement and placement into housing.

The Project began as an innovative collaboration between:

This comprehensive directory was created by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust to connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness—or at risk of becoming homeless—with vital services and support. Inside, you’ll find information on emergency shelter, food assistance, healthcare, housing programs, mental health resources, and more. This guide serves as a practical tool to help our community access the help they need to achieve safety, stability, and long-term well-being.

Homeless Trust Community Resource Guide(PDF, 431KB)

City of Miami Community Development Housing Division

The City has many different programs to assist homeowners and potential homebuyers.  The First-Time Homebuyer’s program provides down payment and closing cost assistance for eligible families to buy their first home.  The City also provides subsidies to private developers throughout the City to provide affordable housing units for purchase or renting.   In addition, the Single Family Rehabilitation program provides low-interest deferred loans to homeowners in the City of Miami to repair their properties.  For more information call 311 or 305-416-2080.

Florida Housing Finance Corporation

Florida Housing Finance Corporation provides funding to developers to provide affordable rental housing throughout the State.  For more information about rental housing funded by Florida Housing, call (850) 488-4197. For other Florida Housing Finance Corporation information visit www.floridahousing.org.

Foreclosure Prevention

Foreclosure Prevention - It's a growing problem across the country: Homeowners facing foreclosure are losing their money – and their homes – to loan modification scams. Information is your best defense. If you see the signs of a scam and know the facts, you can protect yourself. Learn more in English.

AARP Foundation Housing Solutions Center

AARP Foundation Housing Solutions Center connects homeowners age 50 and older to free HUD-certified counseling, resources and education that can help prevent foreclosure. Call toll free to (855) 850-2525 or dial 311 in Miami  to begin a free foreclosure prevention session today. Additional information is available online at www.aarp.org/housingsolutionscenter

The City of Miami is committed to helping all residents who are experiencing homelessness.   

• Providing safe shelter for LGBTQ+ persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness

• Providing recommendations to other agencies that support the LGBTQ+ community 

Besides reaching out to Homeless Assistance, please reach out to our LGBTQ+ liaisons: www.miamigov.com/lgbtq