Affordable Housing

Since 2021, BRIGHT has been working to address the affordable housing crisis, meeting with public officials, service providers, and local and national experts to learn about the issue and potential solutions. Our member congregations and local nonprofits are doing all that they can to help those who are struggling to pay rent and utilities. Some even build new affordable homes. However, this isn’t enough to make a dent in this systemic problem.

Our community knows that we have an urgent affordable housing crisis, and often the most vulnerable are renters, who typically have lower household incomes and whose costs can skyrocket with annual rent increases. 25% of all renter households, more than 13,000 families, are paying more than half their income on rent, which means making trade offs like paying for rent rather than for medical care and groceries. Homelessness in our community has become so rampant that there is even a school bus stop at a local park where children are living in the woods.

BRIGHT has helped bring the conversation about affordable housing to the forefront over the past few years. In that time, Brevard County has created an affordable housing trust fund, a pool of money used for the creation, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable housing. This is an important first step, however they have not yet property funded this resource. That is why BRIGHT is calling on our county commissioners to fully fund our trust fund with $10 million each year.

The county spends tens of millions of dollars to restore beaches for the benefit of tourists. However, the county has to date not financially prioritized affordable housing for the people who work directly in tourism and other low-wage essential work. Not prioritizing the housing crisis hurts hard-working families.

The HUD Median Income for a family of four was $89,600. An affordable housing trust fund serving those from 30% to 60% of the average median income would be accessible for families making roughly $26,880 to $53,760. These are seniors on fixed incomes and working people with jobs in the service and tourism industries, healthcare, and city services; they are even teachers and first responders!

Like air to breathe and food to eat, shelter is a basic human need. All children deserve a roof over their head and a safe place to live. We believe that Brevard County would be a better place to live if everyone could afford stable housing. We have a vision for a community where children play in the park instead of living there. When families have a safe place to sleep, their children can thrive in school. With dependable housing, seniors can thrive in their golden years. We need policies that ensure housing is within reach for everyone!