VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – More than 1,000 people were expected to attend Monday night’s F.A.I.T.H Action Assembly, an annual meeting with its members from 30 congregations.
The group called for Volusia County to create a Housing Trust Fund during the event held at the Daytona Beach Drive-in Christian Church.
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Jackie Mole is the co-chair of the F.A.I.T.H Housing Committee. He said nearly 2,500 children who attend Volusia County schools are either homeless or housing impaired, meaning their living situation is temporary or overcrowded.
“They owe them the opportunity and it’s not their fault that they are in the current situation, so a helping hand is important,” Mole said.
Mole also works as a real estate agent and said some rental rates have increased from $1,600 a month to $2,200 a month within a two-year time frame.
A speaker at the event told the crowd how she has been staying with relatives since her social security income is not enough to cover her own housing expenses.
“Currently we are staying at my sister’s house (and she) passed away recently, and we will stay there until (it) is sold. Once it is, I don’t know where we will go,” the woman said.
The group said for every dollar put in the trust fund, it would increase to $8 in leverage.
Volusia County said Monday that the county is nine months into an affordable housing initiative. The county has hosted several community meetings and webinars to determine the best path forward to alleviate the burden of housing costs for Volusia County residents.
Several members of the Volusia County commission spoke at the event, alongside others who submitted a written response to the group’s questions.
Mole said a singed petition will be presented to the county in the next month, outlining their plan for the creation of a trust fund.