Daily Bread will move forward with affordable housing on Sarno Road; soup kitchen to close

Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today
Updated ·3 min read

Melbourne City Council Tuesday night voted to give Daily Bread 3 acres of land off Sarno Road, allowing the organization to move ahead with plans to build a 120-unit affordable-housing complex.

The nonprofit will also close its downtown soup kitchen and day shelter on Fee Avenue.

This map shows the 5-acre Sarno Road site where Daily Bread officials hope to construct an affordable housing complex.
This map shows the 5-acre Sarno Road site where Daily Bread officials hope to construct an affordable housing complex.

Daily Bread officials will move forward building Province Place, a $15-20 million complex of up to 120 affordable housing units that will also offer its residents other needed social services. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Province Place was selected by Council over a competing offer by American Muscle Car Museum owner Mark Pieloch's proposal to purchase the land for $250,000 to build a new dog park. The site of the proposed housing complex is across the street from the museum.

With the closure of the Daily Bread's Fee Avenue services downtown, the City Council and Daily Bread executive director Jeffrey Njus were emphatic that there would be no soup kitchen or day shelter for the homeless at the coming Sarno Road apartments.

Province Place comes after years of attempts by Daily Bread to get into the housing market by providing transitional and other types of homes for those who have been homeless.

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The complex would also house wholesale food warehouse operations and administrative offices, but no soup kitchen or walk-up services at all. Instead, the services available at the apartment complex will be offered to its residents only and not the public as part of the Daily Bread's shifting mission.

City Council Tuesday voted 5-1 to donate the vacant 3-acre Sarno Road parcel for use in constructing the 5-acre project. The city acquired this land via a 2010 settlement agreement and did not spend any money for the property.

Some members of the public voiced their disapproval of having homeless services moved away from the city's downtown and closer to suburban residences.

Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey said it was "unfortunate" that the issue had become so controversial, adding that affordable housing was the number one issue facing the community.

Councilwoman Mimi Hanley was the lone vote against the project, saying the Council needed to consider Pieloch's proposal and other opportunities for the land.

Daily Bread executive directory Jeffrey Njus spoke at Tuesday's meeting, thanking the Council for its support on the project.

"This will benefit people who need housing, but also the larger community," Njus said. "We're trying to help people overcome their homelessness and find housing. We're transitioning to a housing focus." Njus said the numbers of people coming to Daily Bread have gone down in recent years in part because they have shifted to a housing focus, helping people get sheltered. The Province Park project is the natural next step to the organization's mission, he said. "A day shelter makes sense if you don't have housing for people. We can do better than a day shelter. People need a place to live at night and all the time. When we can provide for that, then we won't need a day shelter or a soup kitchen," Njus said. "This is the right time and the right place," he added.

Key points of the Daily Bread's new approach:

  • Council members in the future may award $3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for Providence Place.

  • Per the development agreement, Daily Bread would cease all Fee Avenue soup kitchen and day shelter operations within 60 days of issuance of the Providence Place certificate of occupancy.

  • Njus said the nonprofit would sell its Fee Avenue properties.

  • Providence Place would offer affordable housing for households with income at or below 80% of average median income. The apartments will have those income restrictions at least 50 years.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County government watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Daily Bread to move forward with Sarno Road affordable housing