Trapped Without Shelter: How Brevard County Profits from the Pain of the Poor

Introduction: When Survival Is a Crime

You’re arrested for sleeping. Booked for existing. Fined for having nowhere to go.

I know—because I lived it.

In Brevard County, Florida, especially here in Melbourne, homelessness is not treated as a crisis to solve. It's treated as a nuisance to erase. Police target the poor, not to protect the community—but to sanitize the city for profit. And it’s working... for them.

But it’s destroying lives like mine. Like yours. Like the voiceless ones no one hears from because they’re locked up, shipped out, or buried under bureaucracy.

This is what they don’t want you to see.

The Cost of Being Homeless in Brevard County

"The Price of Poverty"

“Stripped, Starved, Hunted”: My Testimony

I was arrested for trespassing while resting near a business—because I had nowhere else to go. I was barefoot when released. My wallet was empty. I owed more money than I started with. And I was told: don’t come back here.

They expect us to "get a job." But how, when we’re not even allowed to exist?

There’s no shelter. No transportation. No water. No electricity. And the only “help” comes with religious strings attached. Faith-based shelters demand conversion. If you don’t comply—you don’t eat, don’t shower, don’t sleep inside.

This isn’t rehabilitation. It’s coercion.

And every time you’re seen again—police circle like hawks. The goal is clear: remove the visible poor so developers can sell a prettier Melbourne.

The Pattern: Who Really Benefits?

Behind the scenes, this cycle makes money:

• Police trust funds are paid with court fines and booking fees

• Private jails benefit from longer pre-trial detentions due to unpaid bail

• Religious nonprofits get tax funding while forcing participation in their faith

• Developers and politicians cash in on “cleaning up the streets”

Call to Justice

This is systemic abuse—not an accident, not isolated.

It’s time to expose the silence.

We need:

1. A federal investigation into Brevard County’s use of arrests as revenue.

2. An end to forced religious programming tied to aid.

3. A Housing First policy with real shelter options—not church pews and police cells.

4. Transparency. Public records must be opened. Every arrest, every fine, every dollar tracked.

What You Can Do

• Share this post.

• File a public records request: [link to FOIA template]

• Donate to secular aid groups serving Brevard County.

• Join the #ExposeTheSilence campaign and share your story.

You Are Not Alone

To anyone living on the street, scared of being seen, hunted by the very system sworn to protect you—you are not the problem.

You are the truth they are afraid of.

And now, we’re going to make sure the world sees it.

— Ricardo A. Stoyell
Founder, ExposetheSilence.org

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As a communicator and strategist, I believe that every story holds the potential to create impact — when shared truthfully and strategically.

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Stay tuned for stories that matter, conversations that inspire, and tools to create your own transformation.

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Every day, stories of abuse, corruption, and systemic failure are swept under the rug.

Expose The Silence was created to give voice to the voiceless.

This platform delivers investigative reporting and courageous journalism to uncover what others fear to reveal.

This isn’t just journalism—it’s justice.