Housing for All

When Sharon Donawa retired from a theme park job she’d held for nearly four decades, she looked forward to some well-deserved relaxation.

Instead, she faced a stressful housing situation that’s common for many across Central Florida.

Unable to find an affordable place to live, she spent nearly a year post-retirement staying with her sister.

Then she learned about Barnett Villas, one of four new affordable apartment communities supported by Orange County’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to open this year.

Donawa applied and was approved the next day.

“Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. “Our Affordable Housing Trust Fund is helping seniors, working families, and essential employees find quality, affordable housing and build a stronger future.”

A common challenge

Rising housing costs are making it increasingly difficult for retired seniors like Donawa, and working individuals and families — teachers, first responders, healthcare professionals, hospitality employees and others — to find housing they can afford.

In the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan area, approximately 61% of renters and 40% of all households are considered cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities. Many households spend more than half of their income on housing alone.

Recognizing this growing need, the Board of County Commissioners established the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in 2020 with a $160 million investment over its first decade. In 2024, Orange County voters approved a charter amendment making the fund permanent.

This year, four affordable apartment communities supported by the Trust Fund have opened since April 2026, creating 542 new apartment homes.

The new communities include:

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  • Whispering Oaks (192 units) in Pine Hills
  • Barnett Villas (156 units) in Pine Hills
  • Residences at Emerald Villas (90 units) in Pine Hills
  • Enclave at Canopy Park (104 units) in Holden Heights

“For years, we’ve worked to increase the supply of affordable housing. Now we’re seeing that vision become reality in significant numbers thanks to our Housing Trust Fund,’ said Mitchell Glasser, Manager of Orange County’s Housing & Community Development Division. “It’s rewarding watching residents move into these communities.”

At the ribbon-cutting event for Residences at Emerald Villas, U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost said that investing in quality affordable housing is more important now than ever before.

“This means that more families will be able to stay in the community they know and love,” Frost said. “It means more people will have the stability and security that comes with having an affordable place to call home.”

Creating Thriving Communities

Still, Frost said the need for affordable housing continues to grow.

“We need more projects like these,” Frost said. “That way every family has an accessible, safe and affordable place to live. The future of Central Florida depends on whether teachers, nurses, service workers, first responders, veterans and seniors, can continue to live in the place they know and love.”

The developments are designed to provide more than an affordable monthly rent. Residents enjoy many of the same amenities found in market-rate communities, including fitness centers, walking trails, technology labs, energy-efficient appliances, public art, and community gathering spaces.

Today, Donawa is finally enjoying the retirement she envisioned. From her apartment at Barnett Villas, a short walk from Barnett Park, she no longer worries about finding a home she can afford.

“I love it here,” she said, adding that she’s formed lasting friendships with neighbors. “I now have my own place. Who doesn’t want to have their own place?”

To learn about our Housing for All initiative, visit www.ocfl.net/housingforall.

Addressing the affordable housing crisis in Orange County means more than building new apartment communities from the ground up. It also means reimagining existing spaces to meet urgent community needs.

Through its Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Orange County is partnering with Pathlight Home, a local nonprofit, to create new housing for chronically homeless disabled veterans.

Pathlight previously converted a former Hilton Inn near John Young Parkway into single-room occupancy units, offering permanent supportive housing. Now, with County support, the nonprofit is preparing to transform the hotel’s penthouse suite into five ADA-accessible units for disabled veterans earning between 30 and 50 percent of the Area Median Income. An additional unit will be built on the bottom floor.

“Having the support of Orange County throughout this process has been tremendous,” said Zeus Gonzalez, asset manager with Pathlight Home. “There’s definitely demand for housing, and Orange County’s support makes all the difference. I appreciate the County’s patience, leniency and guidance.”

Read the full story here: Orange County’s Housing Trust Fund to Provide Housing for Chronically Homeless Disabled Veterans

Across the nation, the demand for stable, affordable housing has far outpaced supply. In Orange County, the need is visible in communities like Brixton Landing and Wellington Park in Apopka. Both are full — with waiting lists that grow longer each day.

“The waiting list for those two affordable communities in Apopka is extensive,” said Ryan von Weller, chief operating officer of Wendover Housing. “With rent rates constantly going up, there are massive holes in affordable housing everywhere.”

Wendover Housing is working to fill those gaps with 1,192 affordable units now under construction in Orange County. Projects include Catchlight Crossings, located near Universal Orlando, and Southwick Commons in Apopka.

According to von Weller, these projects would not be possible without financial support from Orange County’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The County invested $7 million in Catchlight Crossings, along with $2.8 million in impact fee waivers. Southwick Commons received $2 million in Trust Fund support, plus another $2.3 million in impact fee waivers and federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Read more here: Orange County Helps Fill Gaps in Affordable Housing as Residents Await More Options

An ownership group is exploring the idea of converting an aging hotel on Orange Blossom Trail into apartments, but the proposal is still highly preliminary and open to change.

Rebecca Wilson of Lowndes recently filed plans on behalf of New Jersey-based InTown Orlando GSN, Inc. to convert the OYO Hotel Orlando Airport at 7100 S. Orange Blossom Trail into multifamily residential units. Under the plans, the hotel’s 212 rooms would be available as studio apartments set aside for residents making 80% of the area median income (AMI).

However, Ravi Sheth of InTown Orlando GSN, Inc. said that he and his partners are still working out the details, including how many units would be affordable and what the rental rates would be.

Credit: Growth Spotter

A groundbreaking ceremony held on April 14 was a chance to celebrate the progress Orange County is making in tackling the affordable housing crisis.

Mayor Jerry L. Demings and District 6 Commissioner Michael Scott joined community members to officially kick off construction on the Enclave at Canopy Park—a new 104-unit apartment community coming to the Holden Heights neighborhood. The project is being developed by Archway Partners, and according to the company’s President, it wouldn’t be happening without support from Orange County’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Check out the story here: Orange County’s Housing Trust Fund continues to make an impact