Affordable Housing Trust Fund Restores Veteran’s home

Affordable Housing Trust Fund Restores Veteran's home

Michael Owens, a U.S. Army veteran, used to lie awake at night worrying about the condition of his Pine Hills home.

The roof leaked, and water from past rainstorms had chewed away at the plaster and wood. A constant drip fell into buckets scattered across a bedroom floor. In the kitchen, the simple task of cooking became a source of frustration. Any attempt to use the stove tripped a faulty breaker, leaving the house - one so often filled with loving family and friends - in the dark.

This was the home Owens and his wife, Jeannette, had cherished for nearly three decades. But the mounting repairs were far beyond what they could afford, and Owens faced a troubling reality: His house was falling apart, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm retired on a fixed income, and the money wasn't there," said Owens. "It bothered me as a man because I've always been the breadwinner. To see this stuff going on and not be able to help your family - it was hard."

Then came what Owens calls a godsend: help from Orange County's Affordable Housing Trust Fund and a local nonprofit partner.

Repairs That Change Lives

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund (HTF) does not just support new construction - it also helps families remain in their homes through renovation projects. Orange County committed $760,000 in HTF dollars to Rebuilding Together Central Florida's Safe at Home Program, enabling the nonprofit to repair as many as 30 homes across the community.

For the Owens family, the work went far beyond a new roof and electrical system. A team from Rebuilding Together also repainted the home's exterior and revitalized the landscaping, adding trees, flowers and fresh greenery.

"I just couldn't believe they did all this," said Owens. "If I had to thank them with words, I couldn't do it. A thank you just wouldn't be enough."

Celebrating a Community Partnership

On July 23, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings, State Rep. Anna Eskamini, District 6 Commissioner Michael Scott, and Rebuilding Together Central Florida joined the Owens' family in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

It was another success story from Mayor Demings' Housing for All initiative, established in 2019 to expand affordable and attainable housing options countywide. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is a cornerstone of that initiative. The Board of County Commissioners initially committed $160 million to the fund over its first ten years, and in November 2024, local voters approved a charter amendment to make it permanent.

To date, the County has allocated $58 million to more than a dozen projects - creating nearly 2,400 affordable units and preserving existing homes like the Owens'.

"Access to safe and stable housing is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of healthy communities," said Mayor Demings. "We remain committed to working with our community partners to bring these programs to even more families across Orange County."

For Owens, the repairs mean more than a stronger roof or working wiring. They mean peace of mind and dignity. The sleepless nights listening to water drip into buckets are over. The worry of power outages during family gatherings is gone.

"A hammer and a nail fix a lot of things," said Owens. "But this - this fixed me."

This is the third in a series of stories about how Orange County's Affordable Housing Trust Fund is impacting local lives.