The Miami Workers Center has waged a 7-year fight against two federal HOPE VI projects that would have demolished 1600 units of extremely low-income housing in Miami's historic African-American neighborhood. The two projects were home to over 5,000 people.
In 2001, MWC and its grassroots organizing project, LIFFT (Low-Income Families Fighting Together), successfully stopped the destruction of 750 units at Liberty Square Projects, affectionately know as the Pork n' Beans. After a series of petition drives, town halls, and negotiations with local housing agency officials, tenants were bused to Washington D.C. and launched a sit-in at the United States Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) headquarters. Eventually, Miami’s high scoring application for HOPE VI funds was denied.
At the same time another HOPE VI grant had already been approved to demolish the historic James E. Scott and Carver Projects. With this demolition, 850 public housing units were to be destroyed and replaced with merely 80.
Utilizing the momentum of the victory at the Pork n' Beans, MWC/LIFFT began aggressively organizing to reverse the Scott Carver HOPE VI plan. Between 2002 and 2006, MWC and LIFFT were able to force some improvements in the plan through direct action, civil rights lawsuits, coalition work, and community awareness building. However, the county displaced all 1,129 families between 1999 and 2004, demolishing all but one building by 2006.
Since the initial approval of the HOPE VI grant at Scott Carver, the program and the entire Miami-Dade Housing Agency have been plagued by mismanagement and graft. The displaced residents were scattered throughout the region and received little of their promised services. In an unprecedented housing boom, many residents were 'lost' by the housing system that was supposed to look after their interests. An unholy union between private developers, county commissioners, and agency bureaucrats ruled the day, siphoning off millions of dollars for pet projects and personal expenses.
While grassroots members militantly fought this powerful alliance, the issue of Scotts rarely made it out of the African-American community.
“House of Lies” opens doors
In early 2006, Miami Workers Center partnered with the investigative reporting unit of the Miami Herald. That summer, the Miami Herald's series "House of Lies" publicly exposed the corruption and collusion between county government and private developers. It showed that tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for affordable housing had been stolen, misused or squandered. Scott Carver Homes was a glaring example of the scandal.
In response to the “House of Lies” series, MWC convened a Countywide Coalition for Emergency Housing Relief (CEHR) which declared a state of housing emergency. The coalition included: POWER U Center for Social Change, the Human Services Coalition, ACORN, SEIU Local 11, FAMN - Haitian Women of Miami, and PACT. The campaign was endorsed by a wide range of faith based groups, churches, civic organizations, and student organizations in Miami-Dade County.
The Coalition's actions dominated the press and received widespread support by the general public who saw county corruption and housing as major issues. The coalition fought for government support of a 14-point plan for comprehensive development and housing reform. CEHR demanded an immediate $200 million from the county’s $6 billion budget for affordable housing from the county. Utilizing almost continuous direct action, mass mobilization, and personal testimony of directly impacted residents, the coalition ultimately won $14 million for rental assistance and the filling of vacant public housing.
Even though the HOPE VI plan at Scott Homes was central to the county scandal, and former residents were central to the coalition's fight, the county bureaucracy held fast to the original HOPE VI plan.
In October 2006, activists from the Center for Pan-African Development created a shantytown in Liberty City which became a permanent symbol of the housing crisis (http://www.takebacktheland.blogspot.com/.) In January, former residents, members of LIFFT and MWC took over the site of the last standing Scotts building, blocks away from the shantytown. There we erected a "Find Our People" name wall to list and find all displaced residents of Scotts. The county had lost track of over half of the displaced families, claiming they did not want to be found.
Within four weeks of 24 hour activity, the campaign located over 400 Scott Families. The Scott site became a central gathering and networking place for displacees.
In the face of building momentum, the county moved to shut down the site. The result was a 6 hour stand off between members and police, which resulted in a stand down by the county administration. One week later, on Valentine’s night, the police came back, evicted members, and fenced off the site.
Historic Agreement Staves off Federal Takeover
Meanwhile, in light of local corruption, HUD threatened to takeover the local housing agency and put it into federal receivership. While the county attempted to demonstrate administrative improvements, Asst. Secretary for Public Housing at HUD, Orlando Cabrera, who is also heavily connected to Miami's powerful Latin Builders Association, seemed determined to force a federal takeover.
In this context, the newly hired head of MDHA, Kris Warren reached out to MWC/LIFFT to dialogue about HOPE VI and the potential federal take over. The result of these conversations is a historic breakthrough agreement. The agreement was in line with the principles and vision advanced in the Justice for Scotts campaign for over five years:
This is one of the most significant housing agreements for low-income communities in Miami-Dade history. It also represents a potentially watershed moment for the predominantly African-American community of Liberty City. This promises to be a considerable step in reclaiming the self-determination of the community, its land and reshaping the neighborhood in the interests of those who live there.
The Struggle Continues
Now, a year after the agreement was signed, the national and Miami housing market is in a sharp decline. The condo towers that cut the tropical sky in the Magic City are standing empty. Units are no longer being sold but rented. Developers are facing massive class action lawsuits from condo investors trying to cut their losses and drop the anchor of un-sellable condos from their necks.
The need for affordable housing is hitting low-income communities of color harder than ever before. Within this context, MWC/LIFFT is continuing to aggressively realize the Scott Agreement. HUD took over the local housing agency late 2007 and attempted to nullify the agreement. MWC has been able to hold the county to their end of the agreement, calling for low-income housing construction off of the original Scott Carver Homes site. To this end, MWC/LIFFT has secured a seat on the selection and negotiation committee for an adjacent $100 million development. This North Side transit-oriented development will be the largest housing and transit development to be built on county land.
Miami Workers Center’s historic agreement with Miami-Dade County is making waves nationally. MWC collaborated with tenant organizations across the country, including NTIC and National People’s Assembly, to fight for the continued funding of HOPE VI. HOPE VI is the only pot of federal funding for long-term affordable rental housing in the country. Yvonne Stratford, a former resident of Scott Carver Homes, collaborated with residents, community organizers, and policy institutes such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition to advocate for the HOPE VI program. On June 21, 2007 Stratford, also a LIFFT leader, testified before the U.S. Congress on the history of HOPE VI and the need for renewed funding and revised policies moving forward. Her testimony was published in the Miami Herald upon her return. HOPE VI reauthorization has passed the House of Representatives and is currently in the Senate.
Additionally, U.S. Congressman Kendrick Meek (D) took action in Washington. Representing many former Scott Carver residents, the Congressman submitted legislation in early 2008 requiring HUD to recognize every standing agreement when taking over a local housing agency. When approved, this will protect and uphold the landmark agreement between MWC/LIFFT and Miami-Dade County. This also stands to support and uphold any other such agreements in the nation threatened by a federal takeover.
The Justice for Scotts campaign is nearing eight years in duration. Looking back we have learned many lessons. First, that housing is vital to community building. Second, that public housing remains the one sure resource in a dramatically shifting economy and failing housing market. Third, that community organizing is no short-term fix, but instead a long-term struggle. Finally fourth, that organizing is a transformative process for all: residents, organization, and, occasionally, municipal governments and federal legislators. The Scott Homes story is still being written, but thankfully, it is being written by the very residents and their supporters locally and nationally.
For more information on Miami Workers Center, LIFFT, the Justice for Scotts campaign or our other efforts, please visit us at http://www.miamiworkerscenter.org.
