History of LHHA

LHHA was incorporated in 1987 through the efforts of several local churches and a team of pastors, social workers and community members that came together to address the need for safe and affordable housing in Little Haiti. LHHA started with a plan to purchase and repair existing homes, then sell them to low-income families. In its history, LHHA has had significant financial challenges that caused programmatic and staffing challenges that threatened its existence. Three years after its founding, LHHA had run out of money and lost its staff, and had a small Board of Directors. At the request of board members, the relief and development arm of the Mennonite Church of North America staffed LHHA with a volunteer, David Harder, to help in its turnaround.

At the end of his term of service with MCC in 1993 he was invited by the Board of Directors of LHHA to stay on as the Executive Director, and he served in this capacity until January of 2003, when Mr. Samuel Diller succeeded him. Mr. Diller has been with the agency since 1996 when he served as a stipended volunteer through the Mennonite Central Committee.

Under Mr. Diller’s direction, LHHA has been able to accomplish many endeavors such as:

April 2006: Grand Opening of the North Miami Computer Clubhouse (LHHA’s second Computer Clubhouse)
2006: 303 graduates from Home Buyer Education class.
2006: 25 LHHA client families became homeowners with another 35 clients under contract or with reservation agreements to purchase single-family homes and/or condominiums.
2005: Graduated a total of 250 individuals from HBE with 20 families becoming first-time home owners.
2005: Community Champion Award recipient from South Florida Local Initiative Support Corporation with partner Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS).
2005: National Realtors Association’s HOPE Award winner for Home Buyer Education program
2004: Graduated 75 individuals from HBE with 15 families becoming first-time home owners
2003: Completed Little Haiti Community Center/ Rehabilitation – 11,000 sq. ft. of Commercial Space
2002: Opened first Intel Computer Clubhouse in State of Florida

In northeast Miami, Florida, on 181 NE 82nd Street, is the Little Haiti Community Center that houses three very important community organizations. The actual building was constructed in the early 1970's and was occupied by the law offices of Koppen, Koppen, and Watkins and the Social Security Administration offices. Since 1995, this has been the home of Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc. (LHHA) which is Miami-Dade County's only Community Development Corporation that focuses on Little Haiti.

In September of 2000, LHHA purchased the building and began seeking tenants to share office space. In April of 2001, the Center for Information and Orientation (CI&O), a non-profit social service agency serving the Haitian-American community of Miami-Dade county, moved into the second floor of the Community Center. CI&O provides HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention training, job training and placement services, and after-schools programs. In 2002, Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (NHS), a non-profit community development corporation with its service area to all of Miami-Dade County, currently occupies the office space next to LHHA on the first floor of the Community Center. LHHA and MDNHS have formed a partnership for the development of single-family new construction homes.