FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Dec. 8, 2008  

CONTACT: John Schuster
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
305-995-1126

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) students; 71-year-old resident of a new home; Palmetto Homes’ management and employees; elected officials; and representatives from the District, school police, and county housing administration.

Ribbon-cutting and dedication of new home built for elderly resident by public school students enrolled in the Miami Partnership for Action in Communities Task Force (MPACT) program, a community collaboration created by the M-DCPS Police Department in partnership with the school system and other organizations. The Partnership gives “at-risk” and gang-involved youths (ages 12-22) skills and experience through on-the-job-training by building affordable family homes on vacant and underused properties in Miami-Dade County.

1780 N.W. 85th St., Miami

MPACT students stepped in to build this home when the resident’s hired contractor took her deposit and disappeared. Since MPACT’s inception in 2001, youths enrolled in the program have built 15 low-income homes. MPACT has been serving seven public schools and their surrounding communities, and it recently earned a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand its program to 13 additional public schools. Last month MPACT was recognized as a national best-practice model in the special strategy category of Gang Prevention & Youth Safety.