| In February 2005, the Upper Room Assembly of God church along with Love South Dade, Inc./ Loving All of Florida, a private independent nonprofit founded by church members and grassroots leadership, broke ground on a community-based multi-purpose center serving the underserved citizens of South Miami-Dade County. The Mission and Purpose of the Upper Room Assembly of God Community Center (URAGCC) is to be a provider of activities and services to enhance the lives of children, youth and families by meeting the need for recreational spaces, community programming and family development initiatives; in addition to serving as a place for safety and shelter in times of crisis and for those in need.
URAG Community Center is an ambitious $8 million, 6-year, project to fulfill a community need for additional hurricane shelters, improved education resources, new recreational spaces, and facilities to host community based programs. The organization has raised over 25% of the funding to-date, and is looking to government, corporate and private support for additional financing to complete the construction of the first phase of the project.
The URAG Community Center is the vision of grassroots community leadership. The project consists of three phases coinciding with the completion of each of three environmentally designed hurricane-proof structures that will house program activities. The cent will be housed on the nine and a-half acre campus of the URAG church, located at 19701 SW 127 Avenue in South Miami Heights. The structures, called Monolithic Domes because of their unique technology, will each house the following activities.
Dome I, which is the purpose of this funding request, will house a full media center, classrooms and office spaces inside a two story building comprising 15,800 square feet of space. Dome II, consisting of 7,985 square feet of space, will house a private school, youth chapel and nonprofit programs. Dome III, will be a full gymnasium enclosed in 7,793 square feet. The complete multi-purpose community center will enclose over 30,000 square feet of air conditioned space and span over four acres. The remaining five acres will hold parking and over two acres of green spaces.
URAGCC will house the following programs and activities for the benefit of Miami-Dade residents, with particular emphasis on the elderly, youth and at-risk/underserved populations; Private School, Gymnasium, Nonprofit Social Services, 300 Seat Auditorium, Worship Services, Cultural Center, Emergency Shelter, Community Programs, Computer Labs, Gardens and Green Spaces, Indoor/Outdoor Recreation, Audio/Media Centers, Fine Arts Programs, Dance Studio, Community Solidarity, Youth & Children�s Enrichment Programs, Educational Classes, and Elderly Daycare.
The green environmentally sound building was constructed using monolithic dome technology Monolithic Domes are steel-reinforced concrete structure that meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency�s criteria for near-absolute protection from hurricanes. The buildings are also extremely energy efficient, costing as much as 50 percent less to heat and cool than a traditional building of the same size. The dome structures have many positive attributes including, energy efficiency, cost effectiveness, quick construction and will act as emergency shelters.
Monolithic Domes have been featured on national news broadcasts because of their ability to withstand even Category 5 hurricanes. Domes in Florida made headlines when they withstood a direct hit by Hurricane Ivan with no structural damage. Representatives from the National Hurricane Center were in attendance for the ground-breaking, and have toured the site. Currently, the URAG Community Center is the only facility of its type in South Florida.
Twelve years since the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, South Florida has been on the road to redevelopment. The 2000 census indicated the county�s population increased at a rate of 16.3% in ten years while t he poverty level continued to outpace growth, reaching a third over and above the national average at 18 per cent. With the return of many displaced families, an increase in newly arrived immigrants, and coupled with the burgeoning numbers of homeless, indigenous and chronic poor, the demand for community specific social services is critical.
According to the Dade County Alliance for Human Services, there is an unmet need in the service area and a service gap for basic human services. The URAG Community Center will meet a pressing community need for additional facilities to host community based programs. The facility will have adequate spaces to support family and cultural enrichment activities, including state of the art audio and entertainment capabilities, theater spaces, promote community engagement and individual fulfillment.
Currently, Upper Room Assembly has a partnership with Miami-Dade Public Schools to offer ESOL classes. In the near future, we will provide elder care services. The majority of our current programs are offered by Love South Dade which is located on site. The URAGCC will be the permanent home of Love South Dade, a private, independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to assist the underserved and impoverished residents of Miami-Dade County to achieve significant improvement in sustainable economic, vocational, career and social development. Initiatives provided through Love South Dade and operated out of URAGCC include a Community Food Bank, Job Referral/Assistance, Elder Care and youth development, the elderly, and the underserved in order to create a community by which residents can prosper.
In 2005-2007, Love South Dade and Upper Room Assembly programs served over 3,000 families, youth and elderly. The URAG Community Center will allow us to provide services for up to 1100 additional persons at any time, in addition to providing shelter for up to 1100 persons in times of crisis.
The Miami-Dade census track shows that a vast majority of low-income families consist of small children, single young mothers and elderly individuals. The URAGCC will work to foster neighborhood revitalization through identifying and capitalizing on community strengths and individual assets such as employment, education, and economic development through the provision social services to equip our neighbors with valuable resources and training to manage their daily lives. Through these efforts our community will be presented with a commanding opportunity to become independent and productive citizens, breaking the cycle of poverty and subsequently promoting a healthier and vibrant neighborhood.
The recent busy hurricane seasons also iterated the need for more shelters to assist families in times of crisis. The URAGCC will be a resource for national, state and local officials to expand the capacity of our community to meet public policy objectives and concerns. The center proposes to work with agencies such as, but not limited to, the DOL, FEMA, HUD, and Homeland Security to assist in providing and housing both programmatic and operational initiatives of these agencies.
Over the past 27 years, the URAG has achieved many significant milestones. The organization is proud of our accomplishments as a faith-based organization responding to the needs of the community both through the provision of services and grassroots advocacy. As we look to the future, we see continued progress and growth.
Construction of the Phase I commenced February 2005 and will be completed in June of 2007, with the certificate of occupancy obtained at that time. Phase II-Dome II- will begin construction in mid 2008 and will be completed a year later in mid 2009. The final phase, Dome III, will be completed in 2010. We are requesting funding to complete construction of the first Dome and finish the remaining build out. The build out costs include the cost to erect interior framework, walls, floors and ceilings; install HVAC ducts and system; complete electrical; and paving and drainage work.
Outcomes we expect to receive are a new facility that will receive certification as a hurricane shelter and be of use to the community over many years. The shelter will accommodate 500 persons by completion of Phase I, and will accommodate 1,100 persons by the completion of Phase II and Phase III. Secondly, we will be able top expand our existing programs to serve more people, and also meet a greater number of community needs through the provision of a broader range of new programs.
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