Meet Annie Lord | Executive Director, Miami Homes For All

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Lord and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Miami Homes For All works to end and prevent homelessness and expand access to affordable housing across Miami‑Dade County. By advancing smart housing policy, supporting community‑based developers, and improving access to stable, affordable homes, we’re helping ensure that every family in Miami can live, work, and thrive in the community they love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I lead Miami Homes For All, a nonprofit that’s focused on solving Miami-Dade County’s affordable housing crisis. We’re working to improve the housing ecosystem to produce more affordable housing and expand lower-income residents’ access to it. Our approach: advising decision makers, organizing capital, supporting smaller developers, improving housing navigation, developing leaders, and building consensus.

What sets us apart is our systems-level view. We ask four critical questions about the solutions needed to increase affordable housing: Where do we put it? How do we pay for it? How do we build it faster? How do we get it to those who need it most? This points us to solutions like zoning reform and permitting modernization to small-scale infill housing–all while centering equity and resident-driven change.

The path our organization is on took a while to become clear. But our persistence and innovation as we tested solutions has yielded some early wins. What’s helped me stay grounded is knowing that the people closest to the challenge are also closest to the solution. Our team is intentional about co-creating change with residents, and I’m proud that we’ve cultivated a culture of listening, grit, and pragmatic optimism. The housing crisis didn’t happen overnight – and it won’t be solved overnight – but we’re in it for the long haul.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend were visiting for a week, I’d want them to get to know what makes Miami unlike any other place in the world. That includes our unique blend of cultures in addition to the beautiful scenery and nightlife. I’d pick up my friend at the airport and make a pit stop on the way home at Cafe Versailles to have a cafecito and a pastelito de guayaba. Next day, we’d start with breakfast in my neighborhood of Coconut Grove at either Chug’s or Greenstreet Cafe. We’d head to Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne to hit the beach or walk along the bay. Another great daytime activity is touring Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, where you can spot a wide range of bird species, including some pileated woodpeckers!

One evening would absolutely be dedicated to Little Havana – a neighborhood I spent a lot of time in as a kid going to performances at the Manuel Artime Theater or Teatro Bellas Artes. We’d have dinner at Cafe La Trova and dance to the fantastic live band playing classic Cuban music. Then we would head to Ball and Chain, a historic music venue, for a drink and more dancing. The neighborhood has grown and changed, but it still delivers on first-class Cuban food and culture.

Little Haiti and the adjacent Little River are hubs of creativity, food, and community. I’d take my friend to have dinner under the trees at Sunny’s Steakhouse, which somehow feels both elevated and familiar. Then we would check out the vinyl at Sweat Records or a rock show at Churchill’s.

In nearby Wynwood or Downtown, we could catch a talk, show, or exhibit – there’s always something engaging at The Arsht Center or tucked into smaller cultural venues like the Rubell Museum.

Miami Beach cannot be neglected, of course. My favorite thing to do on the Beach is to hear the New World Symphony at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center. If we’re lucky, we can attend a Wallcast, where their performance is broadcast with first-class video and audio for free while attendees sit on blankets and enjoy picnics in the breezy park outside the hall.

Miami has its flash and glamour, but what I love most is the depth and character of its communities.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents and brother were the first to show me that I belonged anywhere I chose to be. I’ve since added my husband and two kids to the squad. They continue to teach me how I want to be in the world – of service to my neighbors and a source of positivity in others’ day.

In my work today, I’m inspired by changemakers like Dr. Evalina Bestman, psychologist and founder of a community mental health clinic in the neighborhood of Overtown, where she grew up. Her story, grounded in deep love for her community and a willingness to learn new systems in service of others, is a powerful reminder of how to lead by example.

I’m also grateful for organizations like the United Way of Miami-Dade, whose recent ALICE Report gives shape to the financial hardship so many of our neighbors experience. Their data has helped elevate housing as not just an economic issue, but a human one.

And of course, I’m proud to work alongside the dedicated team at Miami Homes For All, where I see every day how striving for excellence, humility, and a commitment to collaboration can move the needle. Initiatives like Housing 305 and partnerships with grassroots leaders are helping us reimagine how our city can work for everyone.

Progress doesn’t happen in isolation. I’m here because of a community of people and organizations who believe, like I do, that housing is the foundation for a thriving, inclusive Miami.

Website: https://www.miamihomesforall.org

Instagram: @miamihomesforall

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/miami-homes-for-all/

Image Credits
3PMMEDIA