Happy birthday to U: Public service celebrates first anniversary |
It's been a whole year since we held our first Habitat U educational class open to the community! These classes, previously reserved for our future Habitat homeowners, are free and open to the public and cover everything from balancing finances and estate planning to home maintenance and disaster prep.
Since they expanded to our community on May 4, 2023, we’ve hosted 48 class sessions with 536 in attendance at our headquarters, virtually and at partner locations in our community. Classes are facilitated by Habitat staff and dedicated community partners from local banks, law firms, mortgage offices, and more, who donate their time and expertise.
Habitat U is made possible by generous supporters such as FAIRWINDS Foundation, which announced in March a $40,000 grant to continue funding the classes.
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Give today & double your gift to help us
Face The Housing Crisis™! |
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Central Florida’s housing crisis isn’t a problem that can be solved by one person or one organization alone. We must all work together to ensure everyone can access safe, affordable housing.
And right now, thanks to a generous challenge gift from an anonymous donor, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.
Raise your hand now and help us Face The Housing Crisis™ with your much-needed donation today.
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Classes are free and open to the public (you don't need to be a Habitat homeowner!)
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These free 2-hour educational classes cover topics that are key to improving your financial health and being a responsible, successful homeowner. |
| Certified First-time Homebuyer Workshops
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This free 8-hour workshop covers financial readiness, mortgage loans, down-payment assistance and more. We offer one in English and one Spanish each month in partnership with Orange County Government. |
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From the experts in our Program Services and Construction departments |
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National Homeownership Month:
First steps to take after you close on your home |
June is National Homeownership Month. And in honor of that, we’re offering new homeowners advice on the first steps to take after they close on their new homes:
File for homestead exemption
Homestead exemptions may be filed in person in the property appraiser’s office in which the property is located. Additionally, Homestead Tax Exemptions may also be filed online – please visit the website of the local property assessor to get started with an online filing. Use this link for answers to Homestead Exemption frequently asked questions.
Complete a thorough walk-through
Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. To help ensure you and your family are safe in your new home, make sure all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working condition. This may include installing fresh batteries or replacing entire units. Smoke detectors should ideally be placed in a hallway leading to your bedrooms.
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CORNERSTONE HOUSING™ UPDATE
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Regional leaders take a systems thinking approach to analyze housing crisis solutions |
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Since last August, we’ve asked residents of Central Florida to raise their hands to help tackle the housing crisis and join our collective impact work through the Cornerstone Housing™ Initiative.
From a group of more than 450 initial hand raisers, an assembly of over 80 committed regional leaders (delegates) have been meeting regularly to build a shared understanding of just how complex an issue the housing crisis is and build skills in systems thinking.
Raising the capacity of regional leaders in government, banking, real estate development, non-profits, etc. to assess system-wide implications of proposed solutions to the housing crisis will be a key element in a successful collective impact approach.
The next phase of the work is to do just that, by assessing the system-wide implications of proposed housing crisis solutions.
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Thank you to our May Team Build volunteers! |
Want to bring your group out this summer? We still have a few slots available in July and August!
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Ready to take volunteering to the next level? Join us for a crew leader orientation! |
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When you volunteer with us, you create stability and financial security for families that benefits generations.
Crew leaders are special volunteers who come out to the build site regularly to guide less-experienced volunteers. It’s a modest monthly commitment, and you’ll receive training.
Interested? We have two upcoming virtual orientations:
• Wednesday, June 12, at 12:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 26, at 6 p.m.
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This year, Rosen Hotels & Resorts is celebrating 50 years of excellence as hoteliers in our community. And for more than 20 of those years, Rosen has shown enduring support of Habitat Orlando & Osceola. Throughout those years, they have consistently contributed financial resources, time, talent, and expertise to Habitat Orlando & Osceola, playing a vital role in helping us fulfill our mission of building safe, affordable housing and empowering individuals and families to achieve stability and self-reliance. We are grateful to have such a wonderful partner in the community!
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Here are the programs and services that are currently available. Questions? Email us. |
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🏠 Homeownership Program applications are open for new construction homes just minutes from downtown Orlando. Learn more >
🤝 HUD Housing Counseling offers free 1:1 sessions with housing advisors and First-time Homebuyer Workshops to those looking to buy or preserve a home. Learn more >
🌀 Habitat Inspects Program offers free wind mitigation and 4-point inspection vouchers that could help reduce home insurance costs, and uncover home maintenance issues. Learn more >
📙 Habitat U offers free classes on financial literacy, disaster preparedness, home maintenance, estate planning, and more. Learn more >
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