Decorated beds on wheels will barrel across Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus on Nov. 6, as at least 30 teams of students, professionals, community groups and seniors compete in the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust’s third annual Sprint for Seniors Bed Race. The race is more than a spectacle — it’s a fundraiser aimed squarely at one of the fastest-growing populations inside Miami-Dade’s homeless services system: people over 55.
A Downtown Miami Showdown With a Serious Mission
The race is sponsored by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust and hosted by Miami Dade College, according to RunSignUp, which lists the event for Nov. 6, 2026, at the college’s Wolfson Campus. The event takes place at 300 NE 2nd Avenue in Miami, as confirmed by Patch, which also notes that at least 30 teams of students, professionals, community groups and seniors will compete in the decorated wheeled beds. Registration for nonprofit and corporate teams runs through noon Eastern time on Nov. 2, per RunSignUp, and participants must be at least 12 years old to race.
Every dollar raised is earmarked for a specific purpose: helping older adults secure housing and cover essential needs. Patch reports that proceeds will go directly toward meeting seniors’ unique needs, from securing housing to providing essentials. The race also benefits the Ending Homelessness Fund, a partnership between the Homeless Trust and The Miami Foundation established to support the county’s broader push to end homelessness, according to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.
Why Seniors Are at the Center of the Race
The Homeless Trust has pointed to a stark statistic in explaining why older adults are the focus: one in four people entering Miami-Dade’s homeless continuum of care is over the age of 55, the Trust reports. Separate figures cited elsewhere describe an even larger share — RunSignUp states that more than one in three unhoused individuals in Miami-Dade are over 55, while The Miami Foundation says one in three people experiencing homelessness is over 65. The estimates vary by source, but they point in the same direction: a growing wave of older Miamians without stable housing.
The Miami Herald reported that people 65 and older made up 14% of Miami-Dade’s roughly 3,800-person homeless population as of early last year, nearly double their 8% share in 2019, with the Homeless Trust projecting that figure could reach 22% by 2030. The newspaper also noted that nationally, the number of people older than 64 accessing homelessness services jumped 36% — an increase of 20,000 people — between 2019 and 2022. Rising housing costs that outpace fixed incomes were identified as a major driver, the Herald reported, with Miami Homes for All estimating the county would need at least 90,000 additional affordable housing units to relieve pressure on households earning less than $75,000.
Mia Casa and the Push for More Housing
One response already underway is Mia Casa, a facility that provides housing and support for 120 older adults experiencing homelessness who are 65 and older, according to the Homeless Trust. The Miami Foundation, which helps administer the Ending Homelessness Fund, has set a goal of adding 1,000 new units of extremely affordable and supportive housing within the next year for people experiencing homelessness, per its own account on its Homeless Trust Fund page.
Last Year’s Race Set the Pace
The bed race has built momentum quickly. The second annual event transformed Wolfson Campus into a racetrack on Nov. 7, 2025, according to World Red Eye, which reported that nearly 20 teams competed that year — meaning this year’s expected field of at least 30 teams would mark significant growth. Ron Book and Associates took first place in 2025, with Chapman Partnerships placing second and Miami-Dade College Makers Lab finishing third, the outlet reported. Miami Dade College’s own news office confirmed that participants that year included students, local professionals, community groups and seniors competing in creatively decorated wheeled beds.
As first reported by Miami’s Community News, this year’s race returns to Wolfson Campus with the same spirit of community competition, now in its third run, as organizers look to build on the momentum of the previous two years while keeping the focus on older Miamians navigating housing insecurity.
