Skip Navigation
Last Visited »

Hurricane Irma

As we continue our recovery and cleanup efforts, please visit the Emergency website for the latest information on openings and closings in Miami-Dade County.

Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services

Our health and human services departments are among the best in the country with highly talented workers who are committed to serve the residents of this County. By streamlining the delivery of resources to targeted communities including children, seniors, and families, Miami-Dade County is comprehensively addressing the needs of individuals and families from early childhood to late adulthood through advocacy, education and service delivery.

  • Community Action and Human Services Department’s (CAHSD) Head Start/Early Head Start division served 8,041 children and their families; more than 1,061,051 breakfasts, 1,099,702 lunches, and 1,066,518 snacks were provided. The Head Start/Early Head Start program now services 814 more children than FY 2015, at no additional cost to local taxpayers.
     
  • CAHSD’s Veterans Services Program assisted over 900 veterans and/or dependents in FY 2016 with completion and submission of claims to the Federal Veterans Administration and other collaborative services to include services to 205 homeless veterans.
     
  • A total of 421 clients were referred by the Miami-Dade Drug Court and admitted into the Diversion and Treatment Program for outpatient treatment services for a minimum of 12 months during FY 2016.  During the fiscal year, a total of 392 clients completed the program with an average length of stay of 12-14 months.  This is a 40 percent increase from FY 2015.

  • FY 2016, CAHSD awarded scholarships to 32 students, from various target areas, totaling $48,000. An increase of 12 students and $6,000 compared to FY 2015. These scholarships were made possible by fundraising activities of the advisory committees and matching dollars from the Community Services Block Grant.
     
  • CAHSD’s Greater Miami Service Corps (GMSC) connects low-income young people to positive pathways that provide a foundation towards self-sufficiency. FY 2016, 10 members earned a high school diploma, 46 members earned the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER) industry credential, 49 members were trained in CPR/First Aid, 42 received forklift training, 64 received their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ten hour training, and 78 members received $164,892 in educational scholarships.
     
  • The Meals on Wheels (MOW) program delivered 247,576 nutritionally-balanced meals to 630 homebound clients, along with nutrition education and counseling, to help prevent malnutrition and other health-related conditions. An increase of over 115,000 meals served to 155 additional homebound clients compared to FY 2015. Additional funds have been awarded to the MOW program which has assisted 233 clients that were displaced from Little Havana Activities and Nutrition Center site closures. As a result, Meals on Wheels services increased by 66 percent for FY 2016.
     
  • The Weatherization Assistance Program provided services designed to improve air quality and reduce energy consumption for 54 clients. The Home-Rehabilitation Program provided preparation services to 20 clients from very low, low, and moderate income homes. The General Fund Shuttering Program provided 21 clients from low-to-moderate income homes with accordion shutters to protect their homes from hurricane force winds. The Paint & Shuttering Program provided exterior painting and/or installation of accordion hurricane shutters to 30 clients’ homes. The Residential Construction Mitigation Program provided hazards mitigation retrofit measures for 11 low-to-moderate income homeowners. The Beautification Program provided exterior painting and landscaping assistance to 18 clients.

  • The Juvenile Services Department (JSD) continues to partner with various public and private agencies to introduce at-risk youth to various professions.  JSD, the Miami-Dade Police Department, Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, Cultural Affairs, Aviation, Information Technology, Miami-Dade Public Library System and Port Miami have partnered to expand the mentoring program and increase the number of public and private agencies to mentor its client population.

  • The first UHealth Jackson Urgent Care center opened in Country Walk, representing the first taxpayer-owned urgent care center in Miami-Dade County and the westernmost facility ever opened by Jackson Health System. Within 60 days, the facility was already exceeding its goals for patient volume.
     
  • Jackson South opened its trauma center, expanding the service beyond the Jackson Memorial campus for the first time. The trauma program at Jackson South is operated by the same world-class academic physicians from UHealth—the University of Miami Health System.
     
  • During FY 2015-16, admissions to Jackson hospitals increased nearly 10 percent over the prior year, short observations stays increased nearly 15 percent, and surgical cases at Jackson Memorial Hospital were up 3.5 percent. In total, Jackson hosted 86,000 admission or observation cases in FY 2016, plus another 286,790 outpatient encounters.
     
  • The Information Technology Department partnered with Florida International University to provide free Wi-Fi to the Liberty Square community. The completed first phase involved establishing a feasible internet solution along with installing hardware in order to provide the Wi-Fi throughout the Community Center.

  • For the second year in a row, Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) will receive a High Performer rating of 93 percent for FY 2016 for its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section Eight Management Assessment Program measures the performance and administration of the program in 14 key areas.
     
  • PHCD expanded its Project-Based Voucher Program which works with various developers and agencies to designate units in developments throughout Miami-Dade for use by voucher participants. In calendar year 2016, PHCD added 106 new Project-Based Voucher units in four projects.  PHCD has another 7 projects planned for 2017, increasing the Project-Based Voucher Program by another 278 units.
     
  • PHCD received official word from HUD that its six-year rating as a “substandard” housing authority has been upgraded to “standard” and it had met its commitment to meeting all HUD management indicators in a satisfactory manner.
     
  • PHCD began its partnership with the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust in its efforts to eliminate veterans’ homelessness in Miami-Dade County. A commitment of 120 units of scattered site housing assistance has been committed and over 80 homeless veterans were scheduled for eligibility interviews.

  • PHCD rehabilitated over 681 public housing units in 2016 while significantly reducing its public housing vacancy unit count that resulted in over 800 additional families being housed within the last year at no additional expense to the County. At the end of FY2016, the occupancy rate for public housing still remains high at 95 percent.
     
  • PHCD provided during calendar year 2016 approximately $18 million in financial support from both federal and state resources to assist in producing a total of 978 affordable housing units to include rental new construction, public housing rental rehabilitation, homeownership and rental rehabilitation.

  • Over 15,988 homeless adults and children were placed into emergency, transitional or permanent housing by the Homeless Trust (HT):
    • 7,092 homeless adults and children were placed into emergency housing.
    • 325 homeless adults and children were placed into transitional housing.
    • 8,571 formerly homeless adults and children were placed into permanent housing.
  • The HT, in partnership with the Miami VA, has led an unprecedented effort to house homeless veterans in our community.  More than 1,000 homeless veterans were placed into permanent housing since January 2015. With the commitment of the PHCD, two “surge” events provided the few remaining homeless veterans access to housing vouchers provided by PHCD.
     
  • Unsheltered homelessness declined 2.5 percent from 2015 to 2016 as evidenced by the annual Point-In-Time Count. Overall homelessness declined for families, youth, Veterans and chronically homeless. 
     
  • The Homeless Trust extended its private-sector partnership with Chapman Partnership through 2033. Chapman Partnership, has designed, sited, constructed and currently operates two homeless assistance centers consisting of 800 beds. More than 100,000 men, women and children have entered its doors since its inception, providing a full range of services including health care, psychiatric services, a mobile dental unit, Head Start facilities, Family Resource Centers, employment assistance, on-site educational program, and partnerships with providers of ancillary services.
     
  • The permitting review process will soon commence on a new 60-bed state-of-the-art domestic violence shelter, the "Empowerment Center," to address unmet needs of survivors of domestic violence and their children. The facility plans include kitchens, laundry rooms, play spaces for children, counseling and training rooms, a garden and meditation area, and a kennel for the participant’s pets.
     
  • The HT provided more than 420 women and children domestic violence emergency shelter beds. Additionally, domestic violence outreach services were provided to 662 women, children and men who were not in shelter.
     
  • Relocation support was provided by the HT for 195 women and 4 men fleeing life-threatening domestic violence relationships.
     
  • The HT handled nearly 4,970 domestic violence telephone counseling calls. These include information and referral services, hotline calls, and assistance in developing a safety plan.
 Back to Top Page Last Edited: Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:46:57 PM
stateofthecounty
 
 
Corner
Corner

You are now leaving the official website of Miami-Dade County government. Please be aware that when you exit this site, you are no longer protected by our privacy or security policies. Miami-Dade County is not responsible for the content provided on linked sites. The provision of links to these external sites does not constitute an endorsement.

Please click 'OK' to be sent to the new site, or Click 'Cancel' to go back.