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You can learn more about how the Brevard CoC makes decisions and designates leadership by reading the documents below.
The Brevard CoC Advisory Council determines the policy direction of the CoC and ensures it fulfills its responsibilities, including oversight of CoC committees and the Lead Agency. The CoC Advisory Council is guided by the Governance Charter and meets bi-monthly.
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Housing Authority of Brevard County
City of Palm Bay
Ibis Berardi, the City of Palm Bay’s Assistant Director of Community & Economic Development possesses extensive experience in housing and various levels of grant administration (State & Federal). Having worked in government for over 15 years, Mrs. Berardi assists with business attraction and retention efforts as well as coordinating grant funding opportunities to implement new programs to cultivate economic growth within the city. She also assists with creating economic development incentives to attract and retain commercial businesses. Mrs. Berardi holds various housing certifications for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce
Dawn Bittar is a seasoned business professional in the City of Palm Bay/Brevard County for over 25 years, she has worked with an impressive list of clients, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies and has helped them achieve their goals through strategic Communication initiatives.
In the past 25 years, Dawn has remained involved with the City of Palm Bay through a variety of committees and projects. Her expertise spans across a range of industries including, finance, real estate, construction, banking, commercial, industrial, technology, health care, and consumer products.
City of Cocoa
Michael Blake was elected to City Council as a Councilman as in 1988 and served though 2001. In 2004 he was elected as Mayor and served two terms until 2012. in 2014 he was elected as Councilman for District 1 and served until June 2016. He was elected as Mayor in the November, 2020 general election and will serve until 2024.
Michael Blake has Served as a member of the Cocoa CRA, as liaison to the Cocoa Housing Authority, Weed and Seed, and Save our Neighborhood organizations. He has also served on various other boards, committees, and task forces for the City of Cocoa. He was prior President of the Space Coast League of Cities, and is a current member of the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust Board and served two years on the Florida League of Cities Mayoral Board.
He retired from teaching at Cocoa High School in early 2022 and has been a resident of Cocoa his entire life.
Brevard Prevention Coalition
Stanley Brizz is Executive Director of Brevard Prevention Coalition in Florida and chairperson of the county’s opioid misuse task force. In addition, he is an addiction counselor at a medication assisted treatment (MAT) clinic. He has a master’s degree in psychology specializing in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and a graduate certificate in Addictions and Substance Abuse Counseling from University of South Florida. Mr. Brizz oversees a substance misuse prevention media campaign with neighboring coalitions sponsored by Central Florida Cares Health System, Inc., and the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families. He has operated school-based substance misuse prevention programs, a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents, a therapeutic supervised visitation program and a rapid rehousing case management program. Mr. Brizz participates on the Together In Partnership steering committee of the Brevard County Board of Commissioners, serves on the Continuum of Care (CoC) advisory council for Brevard Homeless Coalition and is Vice Board Chair of Florida High School for Accelerated Learning.
Eastern Florida State College
Dr. Michael A. Cadore has proudly served his community for over four decades through education, public safety, volunteering, and mentoring. He is the Executive Director of Community Engagement for Eastern Florida State College.
Dr. Cadore has received national recognition as a record-setting kick returner at Eastern Kentucky University. He continued his athletic professionalism in the National Football League when the New Orleans Saints drafted him. His athletic excellence led him to be inducted into the 2014 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame and the 2020 Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame. He served as a policeman until his retirement in 2019 and now serving as a Rockledge city councilman. He continues to support the community through mentoring, community service, and workshops on leadership and business. He has received the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award from Eastern Florida State College and the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from Eastern Kentucky University.
Central Florida Cares Health System
Colleen Cantin is the Community Care Coordinator and Lead Housing Coordinator for Central Florida Cares Health Systems Inc. Colleen Cantin has worked in homeless services for eight years, specializing in individuals with behavioral health concerns. As the Community Care Coordinator, Colleen is dedicated to assisting the CFCHS network service providers in transitioning individuals with behavioral health needs into long-term, safe, affordable housing with wrap-around services. Her social work background drives her to ensure individuals receive person center services. She completed her bachelor’s in social work at the University of Central Florida and her master’s in social work at Florida State University.
Housing Authority of the City of Titusville
Brian Clark is the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Titusville. Prior to HACTV, Brian Clark worked for six different Housing Authorities in several states.
HfH Supportive Services
Rob Cramp is the Executive Director at Housing for Homeless. Prior to Housing for Homeless, Rob was President of Legacy for Life, a global corporation in the nutritional product space. Previously, he was Vice President of Customer at Unisource and before that Director of International Operations for Avon Products. He has a Masters in Chemical Engineering from Leeds University (UK) . In his spare time, he lectures on global affairs, and plays the guitar.
City of Melbourne
Cindy Dittmer is the Community Development Director for the City of Melbourne and has held this position for over 20 years. She oversees the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Divisions within the City, managing 17 employees and over $8 million dollars in various funds and programs. Dittmer has worked for the City for almost 30 years and has held various positions in planning and economic development. She holds a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Florida and a Master of City Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Brevard County Sherriff Office
Joseph Downs, a pillar of community service in Brevard County, dedicated over three decades to enhancing lives. With roles including Administrator for HUD Affordable Housing and County Coordinator for Project Lifesaver, he ensured housing and safety for vulnerable populations. Joseph’s leadership extended to initiatives like “It’s Time to be a Parent Again” and service on the Police Pension Board, demonstrating his commitment to community welfare.
As a bridge-builder between law enforcement and seniors, Joseph presided over Brevard TRIAD & SALT, earning accolades such as Volunteer of the Year and the Florida LeadingAge Distinguished Citizen Award. Rising through the ranks, he was named Deputy of the Year in 2020 and ascended to roles as Sergeant and Lieutenant. Beyond law enforcement, Joseph’s dedication endures, serving on the boards of the Parker Foundation for Autism and the Senior Resource Alliance, leaving a lasting impact on community welfare.
Aetna Better Health of Florida
Angela Gambino is the Senior Clinical Strategist for Aetna Better Health of Florida and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with over 14 years of experience in various settings within the field of behavioral health, clinical social work, and homeless services. She began her professional career working in both outpatient infant and youth mental health and acute inpatient level of care, providing individual and family therapy, utilization management, and case management. Following her role as a clinician, Angela provided programmatic oversight and implementation to several state initiatives, including suicide prevention, housing and homeless services, intensive case management, care coordination, and peer support, at her regional Managing Entity. She eventually focused her intentions on managed care. Angela is responsible for developing, executing, and monitoring behavioral health programs and initiatives and provides programmatic oversight to the state housing pilot program.
Molina Healthcare of Florida
Jenny Garcia is the AVP of Behavioral Health at Molina Healthcare of Florida. Prior to Molina, Jenny spent 18 years at Optum/United Healthcare in various positions, most recently as Regional Director of Behavioral Health.
Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization
Throughout her 31 years of experience in the transportation industry, Ms. Gillette has established professional relationships with transportation leaders throughout the region and the state. Previously, she worked for the Florida Department of Transportation as an MPO Liaison. In her role, Ms. Gillette oversees regional transportation planning for 16 municipalities and the county, and has the unique opportunity to collaborate with five transportation modes: highways, airports, rail, a seaport and spaceport. As executive director, Ms. Gillette is dedicated to developing master plans that are meaningful, implementable, and cutting edge. She passionately strives to develop and foster regional multimodal transportation projects that improve quality of life and economic development for our citizens and businesses.
Brevard County Housing and Human Services
Linda Graham is the Assistant Director for Brevard County Housing and Human Services. She is a community advocate whose spare time is spent assisting those in need. She currently serves in many volunteer capacities including; Chair of the Brevard Homeless Coalition’s Advisory Board, Member of the Brevard Homeless Coalition, Early Learning Coalition of Brevard Board Member, United Way’s Grant and Oversight Committee, The Behavioral Health Task Force; and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and the National Congress of Black Women. Motto: “Do Your Best At Whatever You Do…And If You Find You Can No Longer Do Your Best, It’s Probably Something You Shouldn’t Be Doing”.
Brevard CARES
Faith Hartsock is a Peer Support Specialist with Brevard C.A.R.E.S. With her lived experience in homelessness, foster care, substance misuse, and mental health, she brings a great deal of insight and understanding. She has a degree from Eastern Florida State College, University of Central Florida, and is currently attending Florida State University to obtain her Masters in Social Work. In her free time, Faith enjoys spending time with her family and reading a good book.
Brevard Health Alliance, Inc.
Born and raised in Brevard County, Austin Helton earned an MBA from the University of Florida and has been employed at the Brevard Health Alliance for more than 10 years. Helton is actively involved with several professional and community organizations including the Rotary of Melbourne, Leadership Brevard, the American College of Healthcare Executives and Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Career Source Brevard
Florida Department of Children and Families
Traci Klinkbeil is the Circuit 18 (Brevard & Seminole counties) Community Development Administrator for the Department of Children and Families. She has worked for DCF for 28 years, and most recently has served in this role for the past 8 years. She currently serves on several community boards and taskforces within the Circuit. She has received a Master of Art degree from the University of Central Florida and is a Certified Public Manager.
Circles of Care, Inc.
Since 1991, Mr. Lord has served in various roles, including emergency services counselor, CIO, and Executive Vice President. Under his direction, Circles of Care has continued to expand community services and operations while providing high-quality patient care. He works with local and state legislative delegations advocating for the interests of behavioral healthcare in Florida and specifically Brevard County. These efforts have expanded programs throughout the organization, including the Central Receiving Facility, Geriatric Inpatient, CORe, MAT, Child Welfare services, and Sally’s House. He has degrees from the University of Florida in Marriage & Family Counseling and post-grad work in Statistical Computing. In his spare time, he enjoys his family, traveling, and reading.
Daily Bread
Jeffrey Njus provides overall direction to the dynamic network of people and programs at Daily Bread, the Homeless Outreach Center in Melbourne, to ensure that no one in our area faces hunger or homelessness alone. Jeff brings to his leadership a compassionate respect for the dignity of every person, an admiration for the resilience of people facing difficult challenges, and the joy that comes from serving together.
Carrfour Supportive Housing
Sandra Newson, LCSW, has been part of Carrfour Supportive Housing since 2002. Carrfour, a not-for-profit organization, develops and operate innovative housing communities through a unique approach combining quality affordable housing with comprehensive on-site supportive services. Under her direction, Carrfour has continued to expanded their innovative supportive housing communities throughout Florida including Heritage Park at Crane Creek in Melbourne and Apollo Gardens in Titusville. Sandra also serves as President of Florida Supportive Housing Coalition, a statewide advocacy group promoting supportive and affordable housing for persons with disabling conditions. She is a former board member of the Miami Dade Homeless Trust and looking forward to being part of the Brevard County CoC Advisory Council and chair of the CoC Housing Committee. Sandra enjoys camping, reading, the beach and kayaking with her family.
Family Promise of Brevard
Tara holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of South Carolina, a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the College of Charleston, served a tour in 1996 as an Americorps VISTA Victim Advocate, and is a graduate of LEAD Brevard Class of 2020. She has experience in providing direct clinical services, programming, and advocacy for children and adults, including over 15 years of management and leadership experience. Tara sits on the Affiliate Council for National Family Promise. Tara’s education, background, and experience have ensured that our families receive an innovative, strengths-based, and multi-systemic approach based on empowerment and education. She strongly believes that every child, regardless of zip code, deserves a home and the chance to build a stronger future. Tara and her family have been residents of Brevard County since 2009.
City of Titusville
Pastor of Antioch Christian Baptist Church – Vice Mayor of the City of Titusville, Florida – Retired Executive Director of North Brevard Charities Sharing Center, Past Vice President of Brevard Workforce Development Board. BA Columbia College.
Brevard Family Partnership
Phil Scarpelli is the President and CEO of the Brevard Family Partnership Family of Agencies. Phil joined the Brevard Family Partnership in November 2018. Since the inception of privatization, he has been proudly involved in Florida’s child welfare system as early as the late 1990s. Previously, Phil worked as part of the Department of Children and Families Central Region’s Leadership on its middle and senior managers’ professional development and talent management. Before that, he was the State Director with Key Assets Florida, Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.
Phil has 30 years of experience working in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in both clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk. To develop a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, embrace innovation, inclusion, transparency, and trust.
Phil has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Gerontology from Iona College and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Yeshiva University.
Love in the Name of Christ (INC) of Brevard
Kristy Stuart has served as a staff member for Love in the Name of Christ of Brevard for 12 years, 6 of those years as Executive Director. She graduated from University of Center Florida with her BA in Organizational Communications. For Kristy Stuart, helping to mobilize the Church for service to help people in need is one of the most rewarding parts of her role. She loves to surf and search for seashells with her husband, Rusty, and three adult children.
TooleyCDG
Karen transitioned from an executive position in the career college industry to pursue her passion for community service. As Director of Resident Services for the Sarasota Housing Authority, she wrote grants and established programs, including an award-winning onsite daycare. Following this, Karen served as a Fair Housing Program Manager before dedicating seven years to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as a Communications and Strategy Analyst.
Community of Hope
Drew Warren is the Chief Executive Officer of Community of Hope, He earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Stetson University and his Master’s Degree at Florida Institute of Technology. He has a passion and calling to work with families and children in need. Prior to coming to Community of Hope, Mr. Warren served as a mental health therapist, a college professor, and college dean and President. Mr. Warren is a tireless advocate for children and families serving in community leadership positions including having chaired the Brevard Homeless Coalition (BHC) Provider’s Board and serving on the BHC Board of Directors. Currently he chairs the Brevard Homeless Services Affordable Housing Committee and serves on the Continuum of Care for Homeless Services in Brevard County as well as the North Brevard Charities Coalition Board.
Operation New Hope Space Coast
Jarvis Wash serves as the Ready4Work Director of our Space Coast program location. Jarvis and his dedicated team provide support and training to people impacted by the criminal justice system helping to reconnect them to the workforce, their families, and our communities. He is a results driven leader with a proven track record for promoting organizational growth and establishing partnerships with cohesiveness. His personal philosophy is “mission brings on maintenance.”
Jarvis is the Founder of My Community Cares, Inc. and is the former CEO of The REENTRY Center of Brevard. For over 10 years, he has been connecting returning citizens with vital post-release services like housing, cognitive-behavioral intervention, health care, job placement and training. An impassioned community leader, he is also the Founder and Senior Pastor of The R.E.A.L. Church, Inc., which stands for Reaching, Equipping, Affecting Lives for Christ.
Jarvis uses his adverse childhood experiences from growing up in Oakland, California to define his purpose and propel his career to one based on serving and giving back to disadvantaged communities. He is married to Elois Wash, who supports him in ministry, and enjoys spending time with his community and family.
The BHC serves as the “Collaborative Applicant” for the Brevard County CoC and leads the HUD CoC Grant process. The BHC provides technical assistance and guidance to agencies and communities applying for funding to create new housing and service programs. Applicants must submit proposals through BHC in the annual CoC Program Competition. This Prezi is a great overview of HUD’s CoC program. We are interested in working with Service Partners we have not worked with before! If your Organization has never administered CoC Program Funding, we encourage you to review the materials below and reach out to us with any questions at info@brevardhomelesscoalition.org. If we have worked with you before, welcome back!
THIS IS THE SECTION FOR THE MOST RECENT COMPETITION
The Brevard CoC is interested in Applicants that can demonstrate a commitment to leveraging private Housing and Healthcare resources, such as Mainstream Vouchers or reduced/no-cost healthcare for participants in HUD programming as well as applicants that can demonstrate the need for Projects targeted for Survivors of Domestic Violence
In general, the CoC program will fund Rapid Re-Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing, Joint Transitional Housing & Rapid Re-Housing (TH/RRH), HMIS, and Coordinated Entry. To learn more about each of these activities, please click the hyperlinks above. Please note, the availability of funding and required applicant eligibility for each of the activities above is dependent both the CoC Request for Proposals (RFP) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CoC Program Notice Of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), or the relevant Funding Opportunity. You can learn about these programs and more on the HUD exchange by clicking here.
This is the section to post all the updates for the current competition
Questions about the CoC Competition? Contact NOFO@brevardhomelesscoalition.org
Visit the Resources and Archives page to view prior Grant Materials
Start Up Training Materials (In Development)
All CoC Program-Funded Projects
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