Nov. 7, 2024                                              

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On Friday, we are marking two exciting milestones: breaking ground on Habitat Orlando & Osceola’s first home in Osceola County – and kicking off of our fifth annual Home for the Holidays event partnering with Williams Company. We know housing is the cornerstone for community progress, and we can’t wait to see the impact we’re able to make in this community going forward.

Williams Company and its subcontractors and vendors will donate the materials and labor for the annual build. But this year, they are doubling their impact by building not one, but two safe, affordable Habitat homes in just a matter of weeks – the home in Kissimmee and one in Orange County.

Stay tuned to your inbox and our social media pages over the coming weeks to meet this year's Home for the Holidays homeowners and track the progress of their homes!

The holiday decorating season is right around the corner, and it is important to decorate safely to ensure your holidays remain accident-free.

Ladder safety 

If you are stringing lights around your home, pay attention to the following ladder safety tips:

• Do not decorate alone, have a family or friend help stabilize the ladder. 
• Follow your ladder’s instructions and warning labels.
• Check your ladder before climbing it for any damage.

We want to send a huge thank you to our October volunteer groups: Rosen Hotels & Resorts, Universal Orlando Resort, Wesco, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JK2 Construction! Thank you for helping us improve affordable housing access in our community.

Shoutout to the Wesco team, a leading global supply chain solutions provider with a distribution center in Orlando, who generously supports our Home Preservation Program, a critical initiative providing essential education, inspections and repairs to ensure residents can stay in safe, affordable homes throughout and after hurricane season.

In addition to their financial donation, Wesco’s team members volunteered to help frame and sheath the walls on a Habitat home last month. 

“Natural disasters such as hurricanes Milton and Helene have devastating effects on our community, and we must take preventative measures to ensure homes are as safe and secure as possible,” said Chris Wolf, Wesco chief human resources officer and executive sponsor for Wesco Cares. “We encourage other organizations to support Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County in their mission to create and maintain affordable housing in our community.”

Today we want to spotlight two of our newest Habitat homeowners: Ambar and Nikita! Both women closed on their new, affordable Habitat homes in recent weeks.

Before applying to purchase a Habitat home, Ambar, who works in housing counseling, worried she wouldn't be able to afford a home in our community. Now, as a homeowner, she's excited to build a foundation for her future family.

"With homeownership, I will have hope that I can plan for a future where I don’t have to worry about being priced out of housing, struggling to make ends meet, and in which I can raise a family that I can provide for," Ambar said.

Nikita applied for Habitat homeownership in 2022 but didn’t make the cut off. Then after working hard to get all her ducks in a row, she applied again last year and was approved.

Nikita said going through the educational process involved in purchasing a Habitat home has been invaluable. She’s learned how loans work, how to maintain her home, and what escrow means, among many other things through Habitat U.

“I’m very grateful for those classes because I wouldn’t have known what I know now … I feel really confident,” she said.

First-time Homebuyer Workshop
In person
Learn what it takes to become homebuyer ready during this 8-hour certified workshop.

Closing Documents & Predatory Lending
Virtual
Get prepared for this final step in purchasing your home – and beyond.

Taller para compradores de vivienda por primera
Virtual
Aprenda lo que se necesita para estar preparado para comprar una vivienda durante este taller certificado de 8 horas en Español.

Community Engagement
Virtual
Learn about the importance of actively engaging in your community and how to better understand the government.

🛠️ 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 will offer free one-on-one financial counseling appointments starting in early 2025! 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 >