ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County leaders are moving forward with a plan to donate land to habitat for humanity in an effort to expand affordable housing.
The project is part of a larger push to help more Central Florida families become homeowners.
As home prices continue to rise across the region, Greater’s Orlando’s Habitat for Humanity says affordable homeownership is becoming harder for many working families. Habitat for Humanity officials said the land donation will help create more housing opportunities in the area.
Orange County recently donated land in the Holden Heights community for future affordable housing. The organization hopes the project will result in about 25 new housing units.
Leaders say land costs have become one of the biggest challenges when it comes to building affordable homes.
“So partnering with that land donation, the county also in December approved about $1.5 million in land acquisition funding to Habitat Orlando and Osceola through their housing trust fund,” said Lucie Ghioto, Habitat’s Growth Management Officer. “And that will allow us to buy more land in Orange County, to build more affordable housing. We’re hoping that that funding will build anywhere between 20 and 30 additional units, for housing Central Florida families.”
The organization says it also provides financial and housing counseling to help people prepare for buying a home.
The project is still in the early-planning phase, with construction expected to start in late 2027 or early 2028. Habitat officials said they hope families could begin moving into the homes by the end of 2028 or early 2029.