Brevard Family of Housing
A quasi-independent Florida public housing organization coordinating affordable and subsidized housing services across Brevard County.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Brevard Family of Housing is a United States not-for-profit housing organization serving Brevard County, Florida. It was created in 2008 as an umbrella structure for three previously separate local housing authorities: the Cocoa Housing Authority, the Melbourne Housing Authority, and the Brevard County Housing Authority. Its role is to coordinate and oversee public housing and subsidized housing programs while presenting a more unified, community-service-oriented approach to housing administration. The organization’s central purpose is to provide safe, clean, permanent, and affordable rental housing for eligible low- and moderate-income households, older adults, and people with disabilities. In addition to managing housing, its stated mission includes connecting residents with social services, supporting improved quality of life, encouraging employment and self-sufficiency, and helping assisted-housing residents move toward greater independence where possible. This makes the organization both a housing operator and a local public-service agency rather than a conventional commercial property company. The Family of Housing structure retained separate local authorities and boards while adding an umbrella board of directors. The three component authorities continued to have distinct governance arrangements, and the umbrella organization was intended to improve coordination, efficiency, and responsiveness across the county. The Cocoa Housing Authority considered separating from the Family in 2010, illustrating the continuing importance of local governance within the consolidated framework. Reported operations have included housing units in northern, central, and southern Brevard County. The Brevard Housing Authority was described as directing 596 units, while the Melbourne Housing Authority operated 150 units and the Cocoa Housing Authority operated 356 properties. Across the Family-managed system, approximately 4,500 residents were reported to live in these units. The operating budget was described as approximately $20 million, with most funding derived from federal sources. Cocoa also administered 149 federal Section 8 rental vouchers and had a reported operating budget of $3.2 million. The organization emerged during a period of scrutiny and institutional change. In 2007, the city of Melbourne expressed no confidence in the local housing authority as then constituted, citing its failure to address local public-housing issues. The umbrella model was subsequently framed as a way to create a more effective and innovative public housing agency. The organization and its component authorities also faced significant governance and compliance problems, including the commingling of federal Section 8 funds with local funds, a bribery case involving contract selection, and federal intervention at the Cocoa Housing Authority after it defaulted on a federal contract. Brevard Family of Housing is therefore best understood as a local public and subsidized-housing administration system rather than a consumer-facing brand. Its activities are concentrated in Brevard County, and its work depends substantially on public funding, federal housing programs, local authority governance, and partnerships intended to support residents beyond the provision of rental units.
History
Brevard Family of Housing developed from a fragmented public-housing system in Brevard County, Florida. Before the umbrella organization was created, the county’s major public-housing and Section 8 functions were handled by three separate local entities: the Cocoa Housing Authority, the Melbourne Housing Authority, and the Brevard County Housing Authority. The separate structure allowed local authorities to operate independently, but it also created a need for stronger coordination and a more consistent response to countywide housing needs. Institutional criticism became visible in 2007, when the city of Melbourne voted no confidence in the housing authority as it then operated. The criticism focused on the authority’s handling of local public-housing issues. Against this background, Brevard Family of Housing was founded in 2008 as an umbrella organization intended to create a more effective, service-oriented public housing agency. Its stated objectives went beyond simply managing buildings. The organization sought to provide safe, clean, affordable, and permanent housing for qualifying low- and moderate-income families, older people, and individuals with disabilities. It also aimed to connect residents with social services, encourage employment and self-sufficiency, and help people eventually leave assisted housing when their circumstances allowed. The umbrella arrangement did not eliminate the local authorities. Each of the Cocoa, Melbourne, and Brevard County authorities retained its own board, while the Family of Housing operated with an additional board of directors. This produced a layered governance model combining local institutional identities with countywide coordination. The Cocoa Housing Authority considered separating from the umbrella organization in 2010, demonstrating that the relationship between centralized coordination and local independence remained an active issue. The organization’s financial and operating model has depended heavily on government housing programs. A reported operating budget of approximately $20 million was funded mainly through federal sources. Reported Family-managed housing included 596 units under the direction of the Brevard Housing Authority, 150 units operated by the Melbourne Housing Authority, and 356 properties operated by the Cocoa Housing Authority. Together, these facilities were described as housing approximately 4,500 residents. Cocoa also controlled 149 federal Section 8 rental vouchers and had a reported operating budget of $3.2 million. The organization’s history includes several compliance and governance controversies. In 2009, the prior executive officer was allowed to resign after authorities discovered that federal Section 8 funds had been commingled with local funds and used for local expenditures. In 2010, a federal court convicted a former employee for accepting a bribe connected to contract selection; an employee of the contracting company was also convicted and received a prison sentence. These events highlighted the importance of procurement controls and the separation of federal program funds from other public resources. The Cocoa Housing Authority later faced a further federal intervention. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development took control of Cocoa after it defaulted on a federal contract. This action underscored the dependence of the local authorities on federal compliance and oversight. Despite these difficulties, Brevard Family of Housing’s institutional identity remains tied to the administration of public and subsidized housing in Brevard County. It is not a conventional commercial housing company, but a public-service housing system whose work combines rental-unit management, voucher administration, governance coordination, and resident-support objectives.
- 2013
HUD assumes control of Cocoa Housing Authority
[1]HUD took control of the Cocoa Housing Authority after it defaulted on a federal contract.
- 2010
Bribery convictions tied to contract selection
[1]A former employee and an employee of a contracting company were convicted in a federal bribery case involving contract selection.
- 2010
Cocoa considers independent operation
[1]The Cocoa Housing Authority considered separating from Brevard Family of Housing and operating independently.
- 2009
Prior executive officer allowed to resign
[1]Authorities discovered that federal Section 8 funds had been mixed with local funds and used for local expenditures; the prior executive officer was allowed to resign.
- 2008
Brevard Family of Housing founded
[1]The umbrella organization was established to coordinate the Cocoa, Melbourne, and Brevard County housing authorities.
- 2007
Melbourne housing authority receives no-confidence vote
[1]The city of Melbourne voted no confidence in the housing authority as then constituted because of concerns about its handling of local public-housing issues.
- 2006
Organization-linked financing featured at regional symposium
[1]Financing created by the organization was featured in a case study presented at a regional symposium in Atlanta.
Products and positioning
A community-service-oriented public housing umbrella organization focused on safe, clean, permanent, and affordable housing, together with social services and pathways toward resident self-sufficiency.
Public housing
Public housing rental units
Government-supported rental housing intended to provide permanent, safe, clean, and affordable homes for eligible low- and moderate-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities. Reported Family-managed properties span northern, central, and southern parts of Brevard County.
Housing assistance
Section 8 rental vouchers
Federal rental assistance administered through the local housing-authority system. The Cocoa Housing Authority was reported to control 149 federal Section 8 rental vouchers.
Social services
Resident support and self-sufficiency services
Support activities associated with the housing mission, including work with residents to improve quality of life, encourage employment, promote self-sufficiency, and help assisted-housing residents transition out of subsidized housing when feasible.
Controversies
2013
Federal takeover following contract default
HUD took control of the Cocoa Housing Authority after it defaulted on a contract with the federal government.
2010
Bribery in contract selection
A federal court convicted a former employee for accepting a bribe to influence contract selection. An employee of the contracting company was also convicted and sentenced to jail.
2009
Commingling and use of federal Section 8 funds
Authorities found that federal funds intended for Section 8 housing had been commingled with local funds and used for local expenditures. The prior executive officer was allowed to resign.
Brand decisions
2010
Consider Cocoa Housing Authority independenceStrategyBackground
The umbrella model preserved separate local authorities and boards, leaving open questions about the balance between countywide coordination and local autonomy.
Action taken
The Cocoa Housing Authority considered separating and returning to independent operation.
Aftermath
The available reference does not establish whether the separation was completed.
2008
Create a countywide housing umbrella organizationStrategyBackground
Brevard County had three separate local authorities responsible for public housing and Section 8 housing, while local criticism highlighted concerns about responsiveness and effectiveness.
Action taken
The Cocoa, Melbourne, and Brevard County housing authorities were brought under the Brevard Family of Housing umbrella while retaining separate local boards.
Aftermath
The new structure coordinated housing operations and resident services across the county, although the Cocoa authority later considered separating from the organization.
Sources2 sources
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