Wenski Groves offers affordable workforce housing apartments

By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Located close to downtown Miami, Wenski Groves offers 24 modern efficiency apartments and six one-bedroom units, created through Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.

The efficiency apartments are 400 square feet, and the one-bedroom units are 525 square feet. Both types of apartments are unfurnished. The complex is situated in a growing urban area, according to Peter Routsis-Arroyo, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.

The complex officially opened on April 26, last year with a ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony by its namesake, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, along with community leaders. Finishing touches were recently completed with all of the units now ready for new residents.

Local individuals or families seeking a desirable downtown location are invited to check out available rentals at Wenski Groves Apartments.

Each apartment has a new refrigerator and stove; there’s also coin laundry, as well as offices for wraparound services such as job placement and counseling. A conference room is available for entrepreneurs, along with a meeting space.

“There are income-based requirements above and below a certain threshold. It is workforce housing, so people have to be employed full time. We can take in small families (up to 3 individuals) and single individuals can qualify,” Routsis-Arroyo said.

In Florida, workforce housing refers to affordable housing options for individuals and families whose income falls within a specific range.

Workforce housing is designed for individuals employed in essential service occupations and professions, making it a vital part of Miami’s thriving urban community.

Rents at Wenski Groves generally range from $993 to $2,129, based on income, whereas average one-bedroom apartment rent in Miami is significantly higher.

“The cost of living in Florida and scarcity of housing is relevant as ever today and Miami is at a crossroads where it has to be careful it doesn’t become the next place where hard working families can’t continue to live,” Routsis-Arroyo said.

“Miami has to be able to continue to have a working class so that the city can be vibrant and have workers,” he said.

Not far from Wenski Groves is Corpus Christi Parish, which historically has served the neighborhood with its free medical clinic for low-income patients, he added.

In addition, the area is well served by public transportation and a vibrant jobs market especially in the service industry.

Evelyn Soto, a regional director for Catholic Charities, said the remaining units still available at Wenski Groves would be available to households or individuals earning a minimum of $40,000 annually or $45,400 annually as a family. As of mid-June, some 19 units remain available.

“The calls we are getting are from people who are retired or low income, but this is geared for people who are working,” Soto said. “They can be self-employed. There is a maximum income of about $79,000 for one person and $94,255 for a household of two people.”

A recent United Way study, highlighted by the Miami Herald, pointed out that approximately half of Florida residents are living paycheck to paycheck — earning more than the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford the basic necessities where they live.

The study also points out that: “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) households and households in poverty are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent — choices that have long-term consequences not only for their families, but for all.”

Florida’s affordability crisis is the major factor, driven in large part by the influx of new residents during the coronavirus pandemic. Only three states — Louisiana, Mississippi and New York — have higher percentages of residents under such financial pressure, according to the United Way study.

FIND OUT MORE

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Inc. with a rich 94-year history of serving the South Florida community, is accepting applications on its website: www.ccadm.org
• Information can be obtained by calling 786-534-4772 or by emailing [email protected].
• Wenski Groves Apartments is located at 2130 NW 37 St. in Miami.