Cory Weckerle on WMNF!
Click on the link to listen to the April 15, 2025 interview.
Join us in our upcoming 2024 - 2025 efforts!
The Nehemiah Action is March 31st, 6:30pm at Southeast High School Auditorium. ALL IN THE COMMUNITY ARE WELCOME!
Feel free to contact us for questions or additional information.
OUR COMMUNITY RALLY ON MARCH 10TH WAS A SUCCESS - SEE BELOW!
WHEN COMMUNITY GATHERS, CHANGES CAN OCCUR!
We gather in the hundreds for our Rally, our Nehemiah Action and our Joshua Celebration.
A result of our 2022 Nehemiah Action: Manatee County will implement an adult pre-arrest diversion (APAD) program!
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is implementing an APAD program (as requested by STREAM)!!! See the Herald-Tribune article and Tampa Bay news coverage for more details!
The program does not include minor traffic infractions as STREAM had hoped, but will still help many adults who commit minor offenses stay out of jail.
We thank Sheriff Wells and our law enforcement agencies for their partnership on this important issue.
Our Affordable Housing (AH) team had a strong turnout at the March 21, 2023 Manatee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) special work session.
The Florida Housing Coalition provided great information including recommendations to address homelessness and affordable housing issues in Manatee County.
Stay tuned for more details about BOCC implementation of the recommendations.
You can also watch the work session on YouTube.
March 9, 2023 Candlelight/Prayer Vigil was a success!!!
More than 50 clergy and lay leaders came to pray in front of the Sheriff's office. In response to our prayers, Sheriff Wells has now agreed to meet with STREAM about the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion program. Stay tuned for more details!
The event also received media coverage from multiple outlets. See what Channel 10 Tampa Bay and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune had to say…
On March 1st, 2023, STREAM delivered over 500 letters urging Sheriff Wells to train his deputies and begin the APAD program from State Attorney Brodsky which has been launched in Sarasota County. See some photos below!
2022 Update
See what the Bradenton Herald had to say about STREAM’s successful year and policy wins! A Manatee County Commissioner described us as “a force to be reckoned with” and a group that will get things done.
Check out other recent news to see what else we’ve been doing - including our Oct 26th prayer vigil/press conference.
UPDATE - COMMUNITY ACTION ASSEMBLY!!!
STREAM’s Community Action Assembly on December 5, 2022 at St. Mary’s Episcopal in Palmetto generated a lot of excitement! 113 network members attended and voted unanimously to continue our work on Affordable Housing/Homelessness and Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion (formerly called Criminal Justice Reform) issues.
Opening and Closing with Song
UPDATE - Homelessness and Affordable Housing
The STREAM Affordable Housing team has also been busy!
We have recently begun participating as a stakeholder in the FL Housing Coalition’s homelessness study for Manatee County and continue to attend County Commissioner and Affordable Housing Advisory Board meetings to keep on top of developments.
The county has adjusted the Livable Manatee program to meet our 80% or less AMI target. The county is also researching changes to zoning, density, codes, and a community land trust that should also help meet our target of 500 new units.
LATEST UPDATES FROM AUGUST BOARD MEETING!
We have begun planning for the launch of our 2nd inaugural Research-to-Action cycle and are excited about building on our momentum and successes in the year ahead.
Speaking of the year ahead, we have determined our 2022-2023 key event schedule. Please mark these dates on your calendar and refer to the Events page for additional details as they become available.
Our Affordable Housing/Homelessness and Criminal Justice teams have continued to meet with local officials to monitor progress on their commitments from the Nehemiah Action. Check out housing crisis reports from the United Way and the dashboard from the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness for updated housing/homelessness info for our community.
