“If They Won’t Come to Us, We’ll Go to Them”: Faith Leaders Push County on Housing

BRIGHT is a 501(c)(3) community organization made up of seven member congregations across Brevard County that work together to address the root cause of community problems by using the power of organized people to hold public leaders accountable for fair and just policy.

On April 1, BRIGHT hosted its Nehemiah Action Assembly at Suntree United Methodist Church. I reached out to Fred Douglas, Team Leader for BRIGHT at Truth Revealed International Ministries in Palm Bay, to learn more about the effort

Connor Mahoney: What was the goal of this year's Nehemiah Action Assembly?

Fred Douglas: The Nehemiah Action Assembly is based upon the biblical mandate found in Nehemiah 5. Nehemiah became very angry and calls a great assembly against the rulers and nobles and they agreed to restore what had been taken and to do as Nehemiah had said. Our goal was to assemble the people of Brevard County to inquire of our County Commissioners about the status of our Workforce Housing Trust Fund. We believe the people should hear directly from those elected officials about the status of establishing a funding stream for the Workforce Housing Trust Fund, which was approved by the voters in 2022 by a Brevard County Charter Amendment.

CM: What went into preparing for the assembly? I understand a research report was made on the issues?

FD: There is a four-part, year-long process that begins with listening to community members in homes and churches at house meetings about what they see as the most pressing community problems. Overwhelmingly, the community has voted the lack of affordable housing as the most pressing concern across Brevard County. Next step is research with government officials such as the Brevard County Manager, the Housing and Human Services department, other nonprofits, and nationwide experts knowledgeable on the issue. Finally, we approach the community members with what we have learned and our next steps.

CM: Do you feel it was successful?

FD: We were successful in gathering community members together but we had difficulty getting our County Commissioners to attend. Of the five County Commissioners, two of them agreed to attend. Commissioner Delaney had agreed to attend, but was called away to an unplanned assignment associated with the Brevard County Special Primary Election that was held on April 1. Commissioner Adkinson, who also agreed to attend, did not specify a reason for not attending.

CM: What are the next steps to continue this effort in Brevard?

FD: We have decided that if our County Commissioners will not attend our meeting, then we must attend theirs and we plan on attending the next County Commissioners meeting which is set for May 6. This problem of affordable housing affects members across Brevard County and every demographic. The problem affects people that we engage with and see every day, though we may not recognize the struggle. If you meet a first responder, a teacher, an eyeglass, or dental technician – they are affected! And they are members of our community that we should support according to the biblical mandate set out by Nehemiah.

You can follow and find updates about the efforts of BRIGHT at BrightBrevard.com.