Last week, the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) approved a $250,000 Business Attraction Grant to support the creation of a community-centered maternal health and wellness facility, helping address South Florida’s growing shortage of maternity care.
The vision belongs to Olamina Properties LLC, a joint venture between Black-led nonprofits Southern Birth Justice Network (SBJN) and Magnolia Birth House. The two organizations had already been searching for a home where they could bring their plan to fruition for months when The Miami Times first reported on the matter in July 2025. A failed attempt to bring the facility to Miami Gardens forced organizers to reassess, eventually landing them in North Miami with renewed momentum.
Now backed by the CRA grant, the Olamina team is on track to transform a former pet shop in the city into what organizers say will be the first nonprofit birthing center in South Florida offering culturally competent, community-based care.