Housing Committee - Regular Meeting

I'd like to welcome each of you to the Housing Committee meeting. All right, today Commissioner Lopez is gracious enough to lead us in prayer. Thank you, Madam Chair. Followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you very much. And Madam Clerk, call the roll.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Thank you, Madam Chair.

If we would all bow our heads, please stand and bow our heads. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the day that you've given us, for the privilege of serving on the County Commission. We ask that today we channel your goodness through the agenda items that are before us as we do the service of your people and our constituents in Miami-Dade County. We ask this in your name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you so much, Commissioner Lopez. All right, so today is a special day. It's Foster Care Awareness Month. So I'd like to invite my colleagues downstairs for short presentations, and then we will continue our meeting. Please join us downstairs. Downstairs in the well, I mean.

I'm able to all set up for me. Good afternoon again, everyone. I'm Marilyn Bastien, representing District 2. And it is an honor for me today, as we recognize a National Foster Care Awareness Month and celebrate two incredible organizations and caregivers to support children and families across our county. First, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the Miami-Dade County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association and Citrus Family Care Network. Please give them a big round of applause. We want to recognize them for their continued dedication to our most vulnerable youth. The work you do every sing

You feed them. You take them to the doctor when they are sick. You give them all the love that they need in their most vulnerable times. Children in foster care deserve safe, loving, and supporting environments where they can heal, grow, and thrive. Many of them have been through serious traumas. That is why the work of foster parents, caregivers like you, and adoptive families, community organizations that support them is so important, extremely important. You step up with compassion, resilience, and love, and our communities are stronger because of you. I repeat, our communities are stronger

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. So I just want to say to the two organizations of which I've had the absolute pleasure of having worked with for the last four years when I was a state legislator, thank you for the work you do. I'm excited to continue my support of you now as a county commissioner. And so I know firsthand how important the work is that you do, and often it is not only tireless but thankless. And we want you to know that with these proclamations, we see you, we hear you, and we thank you.

Thank you. All right, so we have the proclamations. We'd like to call first. We'll start with Miami-Dade County Foster Care and Adoptive Parent Association. Please come in.

I hate that sticker in the picture. Okay, so we're not going to be reading the whole thing. It says here, be it resolved. that Daniela Levin-Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Chairman Andrea Rodriguez, and members of the county commissioners on behalf of Miami-Dade County and this community do hereby proclaim May 2026 as National Foodstake Care Awareness Month. And then the second one says the same thing, I think. This is for Citrus. Same thing. Yeah.

All right. Thank you. Citrus, would you like to say a few words?

Thank you so much. For those of you watching at home, did you hear what they say? We need more foster moms and dads. We need more. Please reach out. Every child deserves to be loved. Every child deserves a family. Please respond to the call. Thank you.

All right, all right, all right, all right. Mr. Attorney, is this time for reasonable opportunity? All right. Do we have any cards? Oh, one public hearing card. Okay. Mr. Attorney. I don't see anyone approaching. So reasonable opportunity is closed. Mr. Attorney.

All right. Madam Chair, I also wanted to be a co-sponsor on item 2B.

And I'll also move the rest of the agenda.

Thank you. So it's time to open public hearing. For anyone wishing to speak, I only have one card. When I call your name, please approach. And you have two minutes. I have Madame Renita Holmes.

Thank you, Madam Glenda Holmes. Anyone else wishes to speak on 1G1? Seeing no one approaching, public hearings is now closed. Mr. Attorney.

I do have a few questions. I know that you might have, my colleagues might have some too. I have a few questions for you. So this committee, I know you reviewed this plan annually to approve modification proposed by the administration, and I'd like to thank you for doing such a thorough job. We reviewed, I mean, it was a lot to review, but thank you so much because I know and I understand the amount of time that is taken for staff to put it together. I have a few quick questions, and then I'll open the floor for my colleagues to chime in. The plan lists admission preferences for groups like ho

Thank you so much. Mr. Atkins, you may have Butch.

In your admission list, preference list, you listed groups like homeless, veterans, elderly, and disabled. I'd like you to clarify what is meant by homeless, general, and single, elderly, displaced, disabled. And also, what does humanitarian referrals refer to?

Okay. The regularization of admission preferences across housing programs is important to ensure that waiting lists are addressed fairly. I understand that. What data will be collected and reported annually on preference distribution to ensure we verify that the evaluation process is operating as intended?

Okay. All right. Last question. Um, I know the, the homeless stress manages the continuum of care, right? Right. Um, um, as required, what steps, what, what steps are in place to monitor and enforce the cap that they are, they are, they are getting like the 50, uh, person's cap.

Okay. I think I have one more. Oversight is important, as you know, in any system. Is there an independent process to audit compliance and admission preferences?

So you basically assess yourself? Is there an independent body that comes in?

All right. Thank you. I don't have any more questions. I wonder if my colleagues have any questions.

Thank you. All right, anyone else? All right. Okay, so we're going to call the rolls.

We need a second. We need a second. Okay. No, we need a second.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Mr. Attorney. I'm changing everybody's status today.

Okay, we have a motion, we have a second. All right, being adjourned, thank you all.