Jeff Francisco If there’s something Jeff Francisco doesn’t know about housing in Indian River County, it probably hasn’t happened or can’t be known. As Chief Strategy Officer at Indian River Habitat for Humanity, President of the Board of Coalition for Attainable Homes, Treasurer of Homeless Services Council, and nonprofit affordable housing representative on the county’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, he is uniquely positioned to understand the county's housing...

A lack of affordable rental housing is widely accepted to be one of the biggest needs facing Indian River County. It can be difficult to quantify the shortfall precisely, but local leaders estimate that at least fifteen hundred more units are needed. Eve Kyomya Vendryes...

Siphikelelo Chinyanganya, Indian River County SHIP Administrator, “gets goosebumps” when she recalls the stories of people the program has helped. Since 1993, the SHIP Local Housing Assistance Plan has received more than twenty-six million dollars in state funding and provided 1,460 loans to people with...

In partnership with Vero Beach Magazine, Indian River Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, writes a monthly column called Indian River Insights. These articles explore the root causes of community needs, celebrate successes, analyze meaningful solutions, and offer insights into persistent challenges. In the May 2026...

Seventy-five year old Elaine Brown* is afraid to unpack. She’s moved four times in the past two years. The first time, the duplex where she lived in Stuart was sold. The second time, a tornado spawned by Hurricane Milton blew the roof off the Fort...

Thirty-eight-year-old Janie Desir is one of those people who says, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” As the home-schooling mother of a five-year-old autistic son, she comes by her sleep deprivation honestly.    Every Monday her day begins at 3:30 a.m. She’s out of the house with her son by 5:30. They need to...

It’s surprisingly quiet at The Samaritan Center on a rainy Wednesday morning. The two-story great room in the center, decorated with couches and café tables, serves as the facility’s heart. Offices, a kitchen, and family living spaces flank the perimeter.  The Samaritan Center exists in the space between emergency shelter and...

In partnership with Vero Beach Magazine, Indian River Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, writes a monthly column called Indian River Insights. These articles explore the root causes of community needs, celebrate successes, analyze meaningful solutions, and offer insights into persistent challenges. In the April 2026...

“Why don’t they just get a job?” We’ve all heard someone say that when they see a homeless person asking for help by the side of the road. When Chris Harbolt, outreach case manager for Homeless Services Council (HSC), sees that question in an online...

“Are you new to Vero?” the greeter asks. “No,” the woman answers. She’s wearing black jeans and a cute top, and her shoulder length blond hair shows just a little gray. She could be any middle-aged woman out running errands, stopping to pick up some...