BOLD Justice

Broward Organized Leaders Doing Justice

Year End Report

This has been a historic year in Broward County. On September 24th, 2007 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, with 776 people present, 25 congregations officially formed the organization Broward Organized Leaders Doing Justice (BOLD Justice). Officers were elected, by-laws adopted, and housing and health care were chosen as the first two community problems for the new organization to take action on. The Covenant Assembly came on the heal of the organization’s first house meeting process which saw 94 house meetings occur with over 900 people in attendance.

Immediately after the Covenant Assembly, BOLD Justice leaders set to work researching housing and health care. The focus for housing was quickly narrowed to affordable rental housing, while the health care committee decided to look into the lack of dental services for the poor. On February 21st, 2008, with more than 1,500 people present, BOLD Justice sought commitments from local decision makers at its very first Nehemiah Action.

The dental committee found that Broward County had no plan for how to address dental needs of the poor. At the Nehemiah Action five major health and dental providers committed to form a task force that would draft a plan to address those needs and provide it to BOLD Justice no later than August of this year for review.

The housing committee found that 42,245 households that rent in Broward County pay more than half of their income for rent. In 2005 the county commission had unanimously adopted a plan to build more apartments priced to low income households, however since that time there has been a net loss of rental property. The housing committee decided to press the county commission to address just 10% of the need (4,223 units) over the next three years. Only one of the commissioners came to the Nehemiah Action. As a result over 100 BOLD Justice leaders attended a county commission meeting to continue to add pressure. At the meeting the commissioners decided to redirect their priorities towards rental, although they still have not committed to a specific numeric goal. The housing committee continues to push this incredibly important issue.

In 2007-2008 BOLD Justice trained 324 leaders, raised a combined $43,000 between its support drive and dues (30% of the budget), and hired Jennifer Oster as the Associate Organizer.

Current Membership

• All Saints Episcopal Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• All Saints Lutheran Church, Tamarac
• Christ Lutheran Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• Divine Mercy Catholic Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• Hollywood Hills United Methodist Church, Hollywood
• Little Flower Catholic Church, Hollywood
• Miramar United Methodist Church, Miramar
• Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Pompano Beach
• Mount Hermon AME Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, North Lauderdale
• Parkway United Methodist Church, Pompano Beach
• Plantation United Methodist Church, Plantation
• St. Andrew Catholic Church, Coral Springs
• St. Anthony Catholic Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• St. Jerome Catholic Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• St. John United Methodist Church, Ft. Lauderdale
• St. Joseph Haitian Mission Catholic Church, Pompano Beach
• St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Church, Weston
• St. Maurice Catholic Church, Dania Beach
• St. Paul Lutheran Church, Weston
• St. Stephen Catholic Church, Miramar
• San Isidro Catholic Church, Pompano Beach
• Temple Dor Dorim, Weston
• Trinity Lutheran Church, Pembroke Pines
• Village United Methodist Church, North Lauderdale

Benefits to Membership

• Enables clergy, members, and neighbors of congregations to effectively act on their convictions to improve the systems impacting the quality of peoples lives.
• Involvement in winning long-term changes on specific community problems.
• Development of leadership skills.
• Strengthens relationships among congregants and with members of other congregations in the county.
• Enables members to publicly engage decision makers in the community.
• Develops relationships across racial and economic boundaries, by working side-by-side with diverse multi-cultural and interfaith communities throughout the county.

Contact Info

BOLD Justice
400 N 35th Ave
Hollywood, FL 33021
(954) 987-6595

Lead Organizer: Andy Lee
boldjusticϳ@gmail.com

Associate Organizer: Jennifer Oster
jenniferl.oster@gmail.com