Housing in Miami for TRANSGENDER youth

House of the South Initiative (HOTS Initiative) is a Black, trans-led mutual aid and community care initiative based in South Florida, committed to confronting systemic housing discrimination and providing affirming care for Black and Brown transgender and nonbinary individuals, including migrants and asylum seekers. Founded and led by Jasmine McKenzie, HOTS focuses its work in Miami-Dade and Broward counties — two regions experiencing a rise in homelessness and legal hostility toward LGBTQI+ people, particularly those of migrant backgrounds.

Our mission is to provide low-barrier, trauma-informed housing to trans people who are often excluded from public housing programs due to immigration status, criminal records, credit history, or HIV status. We currently operate out of the Joy & Liberation Center in Miami and Margate, offering food, transportation support, and emergency shelter referrals. We have now expanded to launch an affordable housing program that prioritizes chosen families and local trans women, many of whom face disproportionate rates of homelessness, deportation risk, medical neglect, and violence.

HOTS is rooted in racial, gender, and migration justice, and serves over 957+ trans individuals each year through peer support, grassroots advocacy, and holistic service delivery. We believe that housing is a human right and that chosen families, Black trans women and men deserve safe, stable spaces to heal and thrive.