Preservation in Action: Preserving Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing

Preservation in Action: Preserving Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing

Christine Rupp, Executive Director, Dade Heritage Trust

6:00-7:00pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S. Orange Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236

Parking available in the lot East of the Pavilion & South of Morrill Street

BACKGROUND

According to Miami-Dade County PHCD, over 80,000 units of affordability are needed to meet the housing demands in our community. To adequately service residents of all income levels in Miami-Dade County’s population, a multi-faceted housing approach is required. The preservation of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) is a proven solution to assist with the affordability crisis in Miami-Dade. Naturally occurring affordable housing refers to residential rental properties that maintain low rents without federal subsidy and it is the most common affordable housing in the U.S. In Miami, these residential affordable buildings are traditionally in older, walkable, urban areas. Preserving the affordability these multi-family buildings offer, while preserving and restoring the buildings themselves, is a win-win-win for the community: affordability is preserved, the historic buildings and the neighborhood aesthetic is preserved, and the environment is preserved – no demolition and debris going to the landfill. Nationally, the preservation of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing is a noted best practice for maintaining the supply of quality diverse price point housing, and it is identified as a key component in Miami-Dade County housing strategy. These buildings largely exist in underserved, diverse neighborhoods. Purchase, restoration and preservation of existing historic buildings is more cost-effective than new construction and less disruptive to residents and the surrounding community. Dade Heritage Trust has the experience and is prepared to preserve NOAH in neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade County.

ABOUT CHRISTINE RUPP

Christine Rupp is the Director of Dade Heritage Trust. She joined the organization in November of 2015 and has made public awareness, advocacy and education a priority as the organization celebrates its 52nd anniversary in 2024. In addition to creating new educational and community-based programs, and an affordable housing initiative, she has developed a relationship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County and a host of like-minded non-profit organizations to ensure preservation plays a meaningful role in addressing the various issues facing Miami. Due to the new focus of the organization and its outreach efforts, The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau designated the Dade Heritage Trust headquarters an Official Heritage Tourism Visitors Center. Prior to joining Dade Heritage Trust, Ms. Rupp was the Director of the Coral Gables Museum, which opened to the public in October 2011 after more than 10 years in the making. She joined the Museum as Operations Director and rose to Director in 2013. Rupp was responsible for the Museum’s programming, operating budget, fundraising, marketing and retail operations.

Under her leadership, Dade Heritage Trust has:

• Partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to declare Little Havana a National Treasure and developed a master plan for the neighborhood, working with several community and non-profit partners

• Led the rehabilitation and restoration effort at the historic Lummus Park Cottage and the Jackson Office, working with various architecture and design and construction/contractor firms.

• Created numerous public programs and partnership initiatives to promote the places that matter in Miami-Dade County, including the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing, purchasing and restoring historic buildings to provide affordable housing

• Developed a new educational program for all K-8 Miami-Dade County students, Historic Places, Green Spaces funded by the Peacock Foundation, the Kirk Foundation, the Batchelor Foundation, the Dunspaugh Dalton Foundation, the Kislak Family Foundation and the Society of Architectural Historians

• Produced historic neighborhood surveys for the Miami neighborhoods of Overtown, Silver Bluff, Shenandoah, Coconut Grove, Westmoreland, Grove Park, Liberty City and Brownsville – funded by grants from the State of Florida, the National Park Service and private foundations

• Revived the organization’s well-regarded Preservation Today Magazine

• Successfully designated four local buildings as historical resources within the City of Miami and successfully received designation of a new federal historic district in the City of Miami, the Grove Park Historic District.

In addition to her involvement in the South Florida community, she also owns a circa 1890 family farmhouse and barns on 5 acres in Ohio which she is restoring to become a working farm.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Images are courtesy of Christine Rupp, Dade Heritage Trust

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