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Promise In Brevard

A place where adults with special needs can live a life full of opportunities and freedom never thought possible.

Promise in Brevard
4105 Norfolk Parkway
West Melbourne, FL 32904
321.722.7400
Today's Hours: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
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About Promise In Brevard

Welcome to Promise!

Check out this video to learn more about us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH5inD1cSdY&t=15s

What is Promise?

A registered 501(c)3, Promise Inc. was established in 2009 as a way to provide a much-needed housing opportunity for adults with special needs to have a sense of independence long yearned for, while simultaneously living, working and thriving in their community. Promise residents have an inclusive, fun place to live, amongst neighbors who care. Promise also offers vocational training and employment opportunities with access to an on-site Employment Services Manager. Currently, Promise is the first of its kind in the state of Florida to combine all of these elements and amenities, and we believe it will serve as a model for communities across the country and even the world. Promise in Brevard, which was founded in 2014, is the affordable housing community where our residents live.

 

Where is Promise located and who lives there?

Promise is located at 4105 Norfolk Parkway, West Melbourne, Florida, on 39 acres, adjacent to the Hammock Landing shopping plaza. Promise is home to 125 adults with special needs ranging in age from 20 to 60; however, the average age of our residents is 34. Rent at this affordable housing complex is calculated on a sliding scale based on income.

 

What amenities does Promise offer to its residents?

The Promise concept was developed with the help of a special group of young individuals, known as “The Dream Team.” From the amenities to the floor plans, this team of future residents has worked closely with our designers since day one, sharing their thoughts and visions about everything the Promise lifestyle should offer. The Promise concept includes:  

  • 1, 2, 3 & 4-BR Apartments • 180-seat Dining Room
  • Zero-Entry pool and therapeutic spa • Creative Arts Center
  • Fitness Center • State-of-the-art Kitchen designed for Catering/Vocational Training   

   

How is Promise funded?

Promise Inc. is funded through community donations, foundations and grants, as well as through revenue from our social enterprises. The Promise in Brevard affordable housing development was funded primarily through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

 

What is The Promise Resident Community Program?

Promise’s Residents Community Program enhances our affordable housing by incorporating a variety of programs and services that provide permanent, long-term solutions for adults with special needs, including both on-site and off-site activities; transportation services; health and fitness programs; movie and karaoke nights; art classes; dance classes; money management classes; nutrition classes; cooking classes, as well as our Vocational Training & Employment Program, which involves individualized career planning designed to provide long-term employment for our residents. Our Resident Community Program features more than 60 activities per week.

 

What is the Promise Vocational Training and Employment Program?

With the completion of Promise’s affordable housing development, we are now focusing our efforts on the second facet of the Promise concept: providing opportunities for our residents as part of our Promise Vocational Training & Employment Program. Our goal is for every resident who wants to be employed to have a job, whether it is at one of our social enterprises or elsewhere in the community, providing them with a purpose and a paycheck that will allow them to pay for their own supportive living services and fully experience the freedom of independent living.

Currently, approximately 60 of our residents are employed at 30 area businesses, and through this program, our goal is to secure employment for the remaining residents. This program is ongoing and is expected to continue for the life of the organization, providing continuous assistance to our residents as they strive to become self-sufficient.

What are Promise's Social Enterprises?

Promise has developed a variety of business-social enterprise concepts, designed to employ our residents and provide the opportunity for them to help pay for their own independent living needs. Our focus is on the abilities, rather than the disabilities, of our residents and the instrumental roles they play in our society.

1. Our first social enterprise, which opened in October 2013, is the Promise Treasures Thrift Shoppe, located at 3040 W. New Haven Ave., in the center of West Melbourne. Prior to COVID-19, 10 residents were on our payroll and we were providing vocational training for another 30 adults with special needs. We are slowly reintroducing our residents back into our social enterprises. More than 40 community volunteers help out at our thrift shoppe. We offer a variety of boutique and furniture items, as well as free freshly baked cookies for our customers and sell soy-based candles and all-natural doggie treats made by our residents. To contact our Promise Treasures Thrift Shoppe, call (321) 722-7400 or follow us on Facebook!

 

2. We broke ground on our second social enterprise, the Promise Café & Bakery, in September 2016 and opened our doors in Feb. 2020. Located in West Melbourne Community Park and next to the Space Coast Field of Dreams, the Promise Café & Bakery was open for nearly four weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to close our doors. Taking a more cautious approach, we spent the next five months researching ways to allow the space to still be successful while adhering to the current guidelines. That prompted us to open just the ice-cream portion of our Café in September 2020, under the name Aves’ Place Ice Cream, which was named in honor of the great-granddaughter of our most generous benefactor. Since opening, Aves’ Place is gained tremendous support from the community and offers a full ice-cream menu, including shakes, sundaes and cones, as well as hot dogs, gourmet bakery items and smoked barbecue sandwiches on the weekends. Aves’ Place offers both indoor and outdoor ordering/seating and overlooks the city of West Melbourne’s Skate Park, amphitheater and Splash Pad. We also offer various private event rental options with the Promise Café & Bakery, including a main dining area that can seat 130 and a private dining room that can seat 40. We will soon be promoting our birthday party packages that will be held inside our private party room and on our back covered pavilions/picnic tables. Currently, 8 residents are employed at Aves’ Place and more will be added as conditions allow. To contact Aves' Place Ice Cream, contact (321) 722-7664 or cafemanager@promiseinbrevard.com and be sure to follow us on Facebook!

 

3. Our third social enterprise is the Promise Culinary/Catering Program, which, as it grows, will generate additional funds for our organization. We have hosted several private events on our Promise Main Campus, which were catered by our residents. More than 40 residents, who are planning to be employed through our Promise Culinary/Catering Program, have earned their SafeStaff food handler certification, as required by Florida Law. The majority of our residents scored 90 percent or better, including one resident who is legally blind and scored 100 percent. Approximately 35 residents are currently undergoing Vocational Training as part of this program and are already beaming with pride as the community has embraced their talents and culinary skills. Interested in renting out our Promise Main Campus or Promise Cafe & Bakery for your next event or gathering? Contact Bethany Mullins at (321) 722-7400 or bmullins@promiseinbrevard.com.

 

4. Our fourth completed social enterprise is our Promise Creative Arts Center, in which we were awarded a $100,000 grant to complete our build-out, as the first-place winner of the “A Community Thrives” video contest, part of the USA Today Network and funded by the Gannett Foundation. Our Creative Arts Center, located at our Main Campus, is disability-friendly and the work created by our residents is available for sale at the gift shoppe of our Promise Café & Bakery. We currently offer art classes covering a variety of mediums to our residents. The Promise Creative Arts Center is home to the Art Zone studio, as well as an Art Patio, which we plan to rent out for private events and other events catered by our Culinary Arts team. Once funding is secured for our Promise Vocational Training & Employment Program, we plan to hire additional residents to work at this enterprise. Interested in volunteering to help with or teach art classes? Contact Cindi Spainhour at (321) 722-7400, Ext. 106.

 

5. Our fifth completed social enterprise is Sweet Sue’s Salon, a disability-friendly hair salon. Located on our Promise Main Campus, Sweet Sue’s caters to the elderly, as well as people with special needs in an individualized setting. The salon, which opened in January 2019, offers a variety of services for our Promise residents as well as the general public. To make an appointment, call (321) 722-7400, Ext. 131.

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