Nov. 21, 2024                                              

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Our annual Home for the Holidays event is officially underway! On Nov. 8, we broke ground on Habitat Orlando & Osceola’s first home in Kissimmee, which will soon be home to Gloria, Francisco and their three children (meet them below!). Relive the kickoff magic by watching this News 6 story.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Williams Company and its subcontractors and vendors are participating in the Home for the Holidays event. It's the first time that they are donating the materials and labor to build not one, but two safe, affordable Habitat homes in just a matter of weeks. We will hold a kickoff ceremony for the second home, in Orange County, on Dec. 2, and home dedications will be held for both homes on Dec. 13.

Gloria is excited to watch step-by-step as the foundation for her family’s future rises from the ground in just a matter of weeks. 

She said the home will provide the stable foundation and sense of community her family has craved since they moved from New York to Orlando five years ago. 

“This home, with its spacious open layout and large backyard, will be the perfect foundation for that vision by providing a place to gather with friends and family, pursue artistic activities, and cultivate a vibrant outdoor space for gardening and entertaining,” Gloria said. 

We want to wish each of you reading this e-newsletter a very happy Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for your support and engagement not only during this giving season, but all year long. From our Habitat Orlando & Osceola family to yours: happy holidays!

If you’re looking for an additional way to give back this season, Giving Tuesday is right around the corner on Dec. 3. When you support Habitat Orlando & Osceola, you’re helping do more than build homes. You’re creating impact in our community – connecting residents to resources, repairing existing homes and strengthening our community.

Thank you to the Orlando Business Journal for recognizing our President & CEO Catherine Steck McManus in your 2024 Most Influential Leaders issue!

“I am a strong advocate for fair and affordable housing and have served alongside the community’s top public and private voices to drive change for Central Florida families," McManus said in the feature.

Read her thoughts on leadership styles and projections for 2025:

Alright, Florida, it’s time—winter is coming. Sure, we don’t have snowstorms or sub-zero temperatures like our friends up north, but the cooler, drier season still brings some unique opportunities to give your home a little TLC. Now’s the perfect time to tackle some tasks that will keep your space comfy, cozy and running smoothly as temperatures (hopefully) dip.  

1. Get your HVAC system ready for action

Even if Florida’s winters are more “sweater weather” than snow day, you’ll still need your HVAC to keep things comfy. Make sure your system is primed for both cooling and heating. Swap out or clean those air filters and double-check the thermostat to ensure it’s doing its job. If your HVAC has not been professionally serviced in more than one year, now is a great time to schedule a check-up. 

We are proud to administer Orange County’s new Financial Empowerment Center. Together, we will help Orange County residents and workers build financial stability by giving them the resources to budget and save, pay down debt, and boost their credit scores – at no cost.

Our professional financial counselors can help you navigate financial challenges and achieve your financial goals. Counselors can help you create a budget, set savings goals, improve your credit score, reduce your debt or meet other financial goals. We have opened for a limited number of appointment through 2024, ahead of our official launch in 2025.

Hurricane season is almost behind us! But this season has reinforced the need for our community to be prepared before, during and after a storm.

We are continuing to distribute 200 resilience kits at upcoming Disaster Preparedness, Home Insurance and Home Maintenance classes funded through Habitat for Humanity’s long-term disaster recovery program supported by The Home Depot Foundation. The kits contain preparedness and maintenance items, including a first aid kit, tarp, solar charging power bank, basic tools, an emergency weather radio, shop vac and more.

The first 60 attendees who meet certain eligibility requirements and attend our upcoming Dec. 4 Habitat U Home Maintenance Class will be provided with a resilience kit at a later date. Habitat U classes are free and open to the public. You do not have to be a Habitat homeowner to attend.

This week we want to send a hearty thank you to JK2 Construction for donating their time, talent and treasure to support our mission.

Their team recently volunteered on our build site to help frame a brand new, affordable Habitat home. Vice President and COO Tucker Holmes said supporting Habitat Orlando & Osceola on and off the build site provides the perfect intersection of giving back to their community and putting their construction knowledge to good use.

“JK2 Construction has always given back to the local community, but we wanted to be more hands on this time around which made us think of Habitat Orlando & Osceola!” Holmes said. “Our slogan is ‘Born to Build’ and what better way to get back to our roots and put our tool belts on to build a home for a deserving family!”

Home Maintenance 101
In person
Learn how to maintain the interior and exterior of your home.

Taller para compradores de vivienda por primera vez en el condad (8 horas)
En persona
Únase a Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando y el condado de Osceola en nuestro taller para compradores de vivienda por primera vez.

Foreclosure Prevention & Understanding Escrow Accounts
Virtual
You will leave this class with an understanding of escrow accounts, mortgage payments, loss mitigation and more.

Orange County Certified First-time Homebuyer Workshop (8-Hours)
Virtual
Learn what it takes to become homebuyer ready during this 8-hour certified workshop.

🛠️ Roof Replacement offers free replacements of roofs for qualified Orange County homeowners. We expect the new round to open soon. Learn more >

💲 Orange County’s Financial Empowerment Center provided exclusively through Habitat Orlando & Osceola is offering free one-on-one financial counseling appointments. Learn more > 

🤝 Housing Counseling offers free 1:1 sessions with housing counselors 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. Homeowners saw a $900 average annual savings through our program over the last year! Learn more >

📙 Habitat U offers free classes on financial literacy, disaster preparedness, home maintenance, estate planning, and more. Learn more >