THIS WEEK MIAMI DADE COUNTY LEADER A PROPOSAL TOO HOUSE AS MANY AS 14U7B,000 HOMELESS
PEOPLE AND A CLUSTER OF TINY
HOMES OUT ON VIRGINIA KEY.
>> SIGNS ARE NOW A SHELTER THERE
IS REALLY A NONSTARTER BUT WHAT
A WAIT TO GET ATTENTION TO THE
DANGERS OF STREET ENCAMPMENTS
THAT ONE COMMISSIONER WAS
LOOKING FOR.
AND THAT MIAMI COMMISSIONER JOE
CORORO JOINS US TODAY, WE LOVE
HAVING YOU ON THE PROGRAM,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME,
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WELCOME.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, ACTUALLY.
SO THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU’VE
BEEN WORKING ON THIS ISSUE FOR
MONTHS, THIS PLAN CAME INTO
PUBLIC VIEW PRETTY SUDDENLY,
MAYBE NOT TO YOU SUDDENLY BUT TO
THE PUBLIC SUDDENLY.
THE CYLINDERINGIA KEY OF FIVE
SITES WAS STAMPED OPTIMAL AND A
GRENADE.
WAS THAT ATTENTION, WHAT YOU
WERE TRYING TO GET IN THE FIRST
PLACE AND NOW YOU HAVE IT?
>> NOPE, THIS IS A PLAN THAT WE
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THE
COMMISSION SINCE LAST YEAR.
AND SINCE I CAME BACK FOUR AND A
HALF YEARS AGO, I HAVE TAKEN
ISSUE WITH THIS BECAUSE MIAMI
HAS BECOME THE ONLY PLACE THAT
THE COUNTY WANTS TO DUMP ALL THE
HOMELESS COUNTYWIDE.
THE RECORDS THAT WE HAVE FOUND
READY SHOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE A RESTED FOR
HOMENESS-- HOMELESSNESS ARE
COMING FROM UNENCOUNTERRED DADE
COUNTY OR OTHER CITIES AND
INSTEAD OF THE COUNTY LETTING
THEM OUT OF THEIR JAIL IN
UNINCORPORATED DADE, THEY LET
THEM OUT INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS
OR STIP OF MIAMI AND THIS IS WHY
WE HAVE SUCH A HUGE HOMELESS
POPULATION THAT THEY WANT TO
KEEP HERE IN THE CITY. BUT
FRANKLY, WE’RE NOT REINVENTING
THE WHEEL.
THE TINY HOMES THAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT, THEY’RE IN MANY,
MANY OTHER CITIES AND STATES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
FROM SEATTLE.
>> DENVER.
>> DALLAS, NEW YORK, PORTLAND,
L.A., TENNESSEE, YOU COULD GO ON
AND ON AND ON.
>> COMMISSIONER.
>> ARE YOU NOT PROPOSING
SOMETHING THAT HEANTS WORKED IN
OTHER AREAS.
>> IN FACT.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A SECOND
IF I COULD, JOE TO PAY A TRIBUTE
TO YOU BECAUSE I BELIEVE
SINCERELY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN
LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO
HOMELESSNESS, HAVE I SEEN THE
VIDEO OF YOU OUT THERE TALKING
TO PEOPLE, ASLEEP ON BENCHES
SAYING CAN WE HELP YOU, CAN WE
GET YOU INTO A SHELTER, SO GOOD
ON YOU FOR ALL MUCH THAT.
BUT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU’RE WELCOME.
BUT VIRGINIA KEY REALLY T JUST
SEEMS WRONG ON EVERY COUNT.
I MEAN ARE YOU REALLY SERIOUS
ABOUT VIRGINIA KEY?
>> WE ARE.
LET ME TELL YOU THE THREE POINTS
THAT IF THE COUNTY DOESN’T WANT
US TO GO THERE AND THE THREE
POINTS THAT FORCE US TO LOOK AT
SITES LIKE VIRGINIA KEY, ALL
THAT THE COUNTY HAS TO DO IS
HELP US IN THESE THREE POINTS.
ONE, THEY NEED TO MAKE AVAILABLE
FOR US THROUGH THE HOMELESS
TRUST AND OTHERS BEDS EVERY
NIGHT, BEDS THAT WE ARE PAYING
FOR ALREADY.
THE CITY OF MIAMI IS SPENDING
THIS YEAR OVER 12 MILLION
DOLLARS IN-- GIVEN TO HOMELESS
ORGANIZATIONSES.
THE BULK OF THE HOMELESS TRUST.
AND WHAT HAPPENS, WHEN OUR
PEOPLE CALL THEM, MANY TIMES, IN
FACT MOST OF THE TIMES, THEY
DON’T HAVE SHELTERS AVAILABLE.
TWO, THEY HAVE TO HELP THEIR
POLICE THROUGH THEIR JAIL
SYSTEM, STOP LETTING THEM OUT IN
CITY LIMITS.
IF THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
BEEN ARRESTED, OUTSIDE OF CITY
LIMITS, UNINCORPORATED DADE AND
HIALEAH, IN WEST DADE, SOUTH
DADE, HOMESTEAD, THEY SHOULD BE
LET OUT IN THE JAIL IN
UNINCORPORATED DADE WHERE THEY
WERE BROUGHT TO, NOT IN THE CITY
OF MIAMI.
>> WE JUST, LOOK, WE’RE GOING TO
GET THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOMELESS
MIAMI DADE COUNTY HOMELESS TRUST
AND WE’LL GET HIM TO ANSWER SOME
OF THIS QUESTION BUT LET ME GO
BACK AGAIN.
VIRGINIA KEY, THERE IS NO GROOS
REE STORE NEARBY.
I MEAN IF YOU, WOULD COST A LOT
OF MONEY NO SECURITY, HOW WOULD
THIS WORK OUT THERE?
>> MICHAEL, IT IS NOT GOING TO
BE ANYWHERE NEAR AS COSTLY AS
THEY HAVE TRYING TO MAKE IT.
IN FACT, LOOK AT THESE.
DO YOU SEE THESE?
LOOK HOW NICE THEY ARE.
HERE ARE SOME MORE COLORS.
>> SO TO YOUR POINT,
COMMISSIONER.
>> ARE NOT THE ONES THAT WE’RE
GOING TO PUT OUT THERE.
THESE ARE OUT THERE ALREADY.
THEY’RE OUT THERE IN VIRGINIA
KEY, THEY ARE BEING RENTED FOR
$65 A DAY, 2000 A MONTH.
WE HAVE MORE BATHROOMS IN
VIRGINIA KEYS THAT ARE NEEDED
FOR SMALL CITY.
WE HAVE DOZENS AND DOZENS OF
BATHROOMS IN VIRGINIA KEY,
EVERYWHERE.
>> VIRGINIA KEY AND THE HISTORIC
TRUST THERE, AND THE COUNTY
VOCHMENT IN THAT, YOU AK A
KNOWLEDGE THIS IS GOING TO BE A
FIGHT BUT TO YOUR POINT AND NOW
YOUR CREDIT IT IS NOW FOCUSED ON
GETTING SOME KIND OF HELP FRTD
COUNTY TO THE CITY THAT IS WHAT
I HEAR YOUR MESSAGE AS.
>> FOR THEM TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
THE COUNTY HASN’T SCARED ABOUT
PEOPLE HAVING TO LIVE IN THE
STREETS, UNDER THE ELEMENTS, AS
LONG AS HAS BEEN IN THE CITY OF
MIAMI.
NO ONE HAS TALKED ABOUT IT UNTIL
NOW.
WHY?
NOW. WHY? BECAUSE NOW WE’RE GETS UPSET,
SOME OF THE ELITISTS THAT EVEN
FIVE MILES AWAY FROM THEM IS TOO
CLOSE TO HAVE WE’RE OFFERING
SOLUTIONS.
>> APOLOGIZE, WE NEED MORE TIME
FOR THIS, IF WE GET RON BOOK ON
THE SHOW, WILL YOU COME BACK AND
TALK IN A CONVERSATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY, RON SENT ME A
TEXT SAYING THAT HE LOVED THE
IDEA OF TINY HOMES, SO I WOULD
LIKE TO TALK.
>> I SAW HIS QUOTE TOO.
>> AND LET ME JUST STATE FOR THE
RECORD, THAT AS FAR BACK AS ALBA
CHAPMAN, MIAMI DADE COUNTY HAS
BEEN WORKING ON HOMELESS ISSUES.
THEY DIDN’T DISCOVER THEM
YESTERDAY.