Miami must address the housing crisis

The June 5 Miami Herald featured no less than three articles on the housing crisis: “Squeezed by climate change,” the cover story in the Neighbors section; “Hot market, American dream clash,” in the Local section; and the editorial, “Miami has a housing crisis. You’d never know it from the lax oversight of this county program.”

Together, they paint an accurate picture of the misery directly caused by the investment boom, which has resulted in evictions of poor families as property assessments rise 10% to 20% countywide. Solutions are hard and complicated, improbable or too little, too late.

Rent control? More Section 8 rental subsidies?

More oversight of existing housing programs?

Expand inclusionary housing requirements in new high-rises?

Maybe some or all, but we need more low-cost, low-rent units for single buyers and families now. Where do we find them? Throughout Miami and Miami-Dade County, there are older structures that need rehabilitation.

Instead of selling them to investors for re-purposing via demolition or renovation for wealthier residents, why not incentivize owners to rehab them for existing tenants?

Set a per-bedroom dollar grant to owners, with the requirement that existing rents be maintained for, say, five to 10 years, depending on the grant. This would be a voluntary rent control and buy us some time to get past this crisis. The budget surplus from the increase in property assessments could pay for the program.

Would there be some fraud during those five to 10 years?

Undoubtedly, this is Miami.

However, do we have the civic will to try something new to address this crisis?

– Anthony R. Parrish, Jr.,

Coconut Grove