This weekly newsletter is for parents, advocates, educators, therapists, service providers, policymakers, and anyone serious about better outcomes for special needs kids.
Hurricane season is 3 days old and nobody has been to Home Depot yet. That's either confidence or denial, and in Miami the line between the two has always been thin.
PS. If buying or selling a home has been on your mind lately, and you want to talk it through, feel free to text me anytime at (305) 401-6224 π
Today's Edition Includes:
No-Cost Meals for Kids this Summer: Find a Miami-Dade location near you
Wednesday Housing Q&A for Special Needs Families: Q: We keep saying we'll decide after summer. What does waiting cost us in a market that doesn't slow down the way people think it does?
New Podcast Episode: ABAβs 40-hour rule. Helpful or harmful?
Hometown Heroes: If you work as a BCBA, RBT, therapist, or in any healthcare role at a PPEC, autism center, or school, there's a Florida program that can put up to $35,000 toward your down payment and closing costs.
Helpful Resources AcrossMiami-Dade & Beyond
* * *
Welcome to Miami ποΈ Bienvenidos a Miami
Share This Newsletter With A Friend Who Needs It π«ΆπΌ
ββComprehensive Guide to Scholarships, Grants, Schools, Healthcare, Therapy, and Recreation for Children & Adults with Disabilities
π Wednesday Housing Q&A for Special Needs Families
Q: We keep saying weβll decide after summer. What does waiting cost us in a market that doesnβt slow down the way people think it does?
A: It costs you options, and options are what special needs families canβt afford to lose.
Miami-Dade doesnβt follow the national real estate calendar. The families who wait for summer to end because theyβve heard the market cools down are waiting for something that doesnβt happen here the way it happens in Atlanta or Chicago. Sellers who pull listings in July put them back in September, buyers who paused come back, and the window the family was waiting to open looks exactly like the one they decided to sit out.
What actually changes over the summer is the family's leverage. If the home is vacant, carrying costs don't pause because the family decided to wait. If it's occupied and the family is renting, 3 more months of rent is 3 more months of someone else building equity while yours stays flat. If the family owns and is thinking about selling, summer is when deferred maintenance stops being deferred and starts being a line item on the inspection report.
The other thing that changes is the family's position. Interest rates don't hold on a schedule. The terms available to a buyer today aren't guaranteed to look the same in September, and a family that qualifies now may be qualifying under different conditions three months from now. Waiting doesn't freeze the variables, it just delays the moment you find out what they are.
"After summer" is a feeling, not a strategy. The families who came out of last summer in a stronger position than when they went in are the ones who made a decision while they still had options, not after the calendar gave them permission.
π If youβre thinking about buying or selling a home, or you simply need experienced guidance, I deliver expert service and personalized support to help you reach your goals.
If you work as a BCBA, an RBT, a therapist, or in any healthcare role at an autism center or PPEC, thereβs a Florida program that can put up to $35,000 toward your down payment and closing costs, and most of the people who qualify for it donβt know it exists.
Itβs called Hometown Heroes, and it was built for people doing exactly the kind of work you do.
The catch is that funding is limited and it runs out fast. If youβve been thinking about buying a home in Miami-Dade, this is the conversation to have right now, not in the fall.
Text me directly and Iβll tell you in 5 minutes whether you qualify.
π² (305) 401-6224
β Victor Antunez, Real Estate Professional
Share This Newsletter With A Friend Who Needs It π«ΆπΌ
βAdvocacy Network on Disabilities: A community of individuals, families, providers, advocates and others working together to make change happen
βAgency for Persons with Disabilities (APD): Supports people with developmental disabilities in living, learning and working in their communities. Provides Medicaid waiver services. * APD Southeast Region Office
βAll Kids Included (AKI): Inclusive arts and cultural programs in school settings and throughout the community
βBest Buddies Travel: An inclusive, staff-led program that brings people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) together to explore the world, while building independence.
FAAST β Florida Alliance for Assistive Services & Technology: Offers at no cost services that include information/assistance, device demonstrations, device trainings, and a short-term device lending library on a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools, including Augmentative Alternative Communicacion (AAC). To support AT acquisition, equipment refurbishment and a financial loan program are also available for children and adults with disabilities and their caregivers.
βFlorida Ready App: AI-powered career discovery and guidance tool. Download the App Today!
βFlorida's Early Steps Program: Early intervention services for children from birth to 48 months who have developmental delays, disabilities, or at-risk conditions
βMiami Dade College ACCESS Disability Services: Works to ensure equal access and opportunity throughout the college experience, by providing a variety of services that address a spectrum of disabilities.
βMiami Dade College STAR Academy: A post-secondary transition program that supports students with intellectual disabilities and special needs in developing academic, social, and career skills.
βMiami-Dade County: Adaptive Sports for Physical and/or Disabilities
βParent to Parent of Miami: Hope, help, and support for individuals with disabilities and their familiesβ
βPlay It Forward Toy Library: MDPLSlibrary cardholders can borrow toys that cater to diverse developmental stages
βSAFE Vehicle Registration: Helps first responders better serve residents with medical or developmental conditions during emergency situations.
βSandra DeLucca Developmental Center (SDDC):β Offers programs for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Services include Adult Day Training, Project SEARCH Miami, G.E.T. F.I.T., M.A.G.I.C., VIP S.T.A.A.R.S., and Camp Shriver.
βThe de Moya Foundation: Employment program for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities
PS. I help homeowners buy and sell homes in ways that protect long-term housing stability, financial security, and future independence. If you're thinking about buying, selling, or planning ahead, text me at (305) 401-6224
PSS. Your referrals are the biggest compliment you can give me.
This weekly newsletter is for parents, advocates, educators, therapists, service providers, policymakers, and anyone serious about better outcomes for special needs kids.