Under The Bridge — An Interactive Showcase of Miami’s Homelessness Situation

The rate of homelessness in the United States has been increasing in recent years, especially in Florida. Today, there are roughly 7,627 homeless people in Miami, 4,637 of those are homeless individuals, and 756 homeless families with children, according to the Miami-Dade Continuum of Care.

Let’s take a closer look at Miami, a city that now hosts the title of being the most unaffordable city in the U.S. overtaking both New York City and San Francisco. From 2020 to 2021, the average rent price has increased by up to 26.61% according to ApartmentList.com, without a proportional increase in salary to go with it. This is one factor that is responsible for homelessness in all major cities in the U.S.

As you can see from our visualization, in the United States, Florida currently ranks 19th as the state hosting the most homeless people in 2020. Keeping in mind, that this data was collected before the events of COVID-19. In addition, the rate of homelessness by the state is measured per 10,000 Americans in the general population.

As a long-time resident of Miami myself (roughly 13 years now), driving down US1 at the corner of Douglas Road and SW Eighth Street, just at the edge of the Gables city limits, seeing homeless people is not uncommon and it is unfortunate. Occasionally, at high-traffic intersections roads that merge into US1, resting in your car at the red light, a homeless person usually goes car by car asking for spare change until the light goes green.

Despite these numbers, the City of Miami has done a lot to remedy the homelessness issue. For starters, the local government has a program called the Miami Homeless Assistance Program. The aim of this program is to provide homeless individuals assistance by aiding placement into appropriate housing and/or shelter. The program also provides outreach, assessment, placement, information, referral, and transportation services to homeless individuals and families. Thanks to this initiative, funds are allocated to employ and train formerly homeless men and women. As a current resident of Miami, you’re also able to apply for Homeless Rapid-Rehousing Assistance in the case you are financially burdened.

Government programs can only go so far in aiding against homelessness. The sight of homeless people in deep slumber, under overpasses and tucked into storefronts is very common in the late night drives of Miami’s financial district. Our second visualization explores the homeless population trends in the U.S. As one can determine, nationwide homelessness was on the decline, until the events of COVID-19. As estimated, from 2019–2020, there was a 2% increase in nationwide homelessness.

Luckily, nonprofit organizations are filling the gaps on the journey of aiding the homeless. Nonprofits like The Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, located in Brickell, a homeless shelter providing meals every Wednesday to the “poorest of the poor” here in Miami’s inner city. They currently operate a shelter for homeless women and children near Jackson Memorial Hospital. Every Wednesday at 9:00 AM , hundreds of volunteers arrive to join the Missionaries, as they help prepare and distribute meals to the homeless. These distributions roughly start at 9:30 AM and last until 11:30 AM.

They currently operate a shelter for homeless women and children near Jackson Memorial Hospital. Every Wednesday at 9:00 AM, hundreds of volunteers arrive to join the Missionaries, as they help prepare and distribute meals to the homeless. These distributions roughly start at 9:30 AM and last until 11:30 AM.

Lucky enough, we got a chance to sit with one of these volunteers, Keily, this past week in order to learn more about her experience working at the shelter here in Miami. I asked Keily this simple question during our interview: “What are your thoughts on the homelessness rates in Miami?” She said, “I’ve seen it first hand. I’m also a renter here so I’ve also seen firsthand the drastic increase in rent price. It all relates: the higher the rent prices are, the higher chance the homelessness increases.”

For Keily, the sight of homelessness is a common occurrence, especially in the aiding process. That’s because Keily originally comes from Venezuela, where hyperinflation has overtaken the country’s financial system, largely caused by government officials' mismanagement and excessive printing of monetary assets. Back in Venezuela, Keily was the Director of Donations at Foundation Casa El Rey Jesus (Foundation House of Jesus), a nonprofit organization that hosted a children’s shelter providing them with meals and clean water. “The homeless shelter I work at is lucky enough to receive the support of the government, so food is never a problem. We also have partnerships that provide food on a weekly basis,” Keily says.

If you live near Brickell and are looking to volunteer at a homeless shelter, you can check out https://missionariesofcharity.org for more information.