Impact Spotlight
Solar power to offset costs for a housing cooperative for LGBTQ+ youth in Liberty City
Training 30 residents in solar installation and energy justice
Launches a replicable model to solarize 10 more homes in underserved Miami communities
About
Based in Liberty City, Miami—a historically Black neighborhood long impacted by redlining, displacement, and climate gentrification—SMASH is a worker-led community land trust that supports those most affected by Miami’s housing crisis. Their work centers LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, and low-income residents, using cooperative housing, climate resilience training, and community organizing as tools for justice.
Through its Housing and Healing Justice Cooperatives, SMASH provides not only stable homes but also spaces for healing, organizing, and long-term community power. With solar, residents gain more than energy—they gain autonomy, resilience, and a tangible solution to systemic inequality.
“For my community, solar is power—community power, environmental responsibility, and a symbol of a brighter, resilient, and more sustainable future. By bringing solar to our Community Land Trust in Liberty City, we will close social gaps, educate residents about solarization, and show them that solar energy is something they can access too.”
HF Partnership
With support from the Honnold Foundation, SMASH is installing rooftop solar at one of its Housing and Healing Justice Cooperatives—a community land trust home serving LGBTQ+ homeless youth in Liberty City. The solar array will significantly reduce electricity costs, improve living conditions, and act as a beacon of what climate justice can look like when it’s community-led.
The project includes hands-on solar workshops for 30 residents, who will build energy literacy and gain skills in installation and maintenance. The solar installation is the first phase of a long-term plan to scale community-owned solar across SMASH properties, with a goal of solarizing 10 homes over the next five years.
In a city on the frontlines of sea-level rise and housing inequity, this project reduces emissions while building climate resilience and community wealth from the ground up.
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