Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings today announced that Orange County Government housed 486 individuals experiencing homelessness in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, states, municipalities, and tribes through HUD’s House America initiative.
Mayor Jerry Demings committed to House America in October 2021, and since then, Orange County efforts have resulted in serving the immediate needs of 486 households. An additional 805 affordable rental units, including 110 that are set aside for extremely low-income households, are in the development pipeline since receiving federal funding support and technical assistance from HUD.
Orange County is one of 105 communities across 31 states and territories and the District of Columbia that joined the initiative Secretary Fudge launched in partnership with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness as a comprehensive effort to address the nation’s homelessness crisis.
“Orange County is dedicated to ensuring that affordable units for low and extremely low-income households are available in our community,” said Mayor Demings. “Through the tireless work from our dedicated staff, HUD’s partnership, utilizing American Rescue Plan funds, and tapping our local Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support these developments, we have exceeded our initial goal for last year, and we’ll challenge and support staff to keep this pace in 2023.”
In total, the national effort helped house more than 100,000 households experiencing homelessness and added over 40,000 affordable housing units into development, exceeding the goal Secretary Fudge set in September 2021. At that time, she challenged state and local leaders to collectively place at least 100,000 households experiencing homelessness into permanent housing and add at least 20,000 new affordable and supportive housing units into their development pipelines by December 2022.
“Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home. Through House America, I’m proud to see that Orange County Government, led by Mayor Jerry Demings, has stepped up to get people off the streets and into homes,” said Secretary Fudge. “The Biden-Harris Administration is deploying a Housing First approach, using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and other resources to help individuals find a place to call home. We will continue to work to house America until we end homelessness as we know it.”
House America encourages communities to deploy a historic level of federal resources to address homelessness. In particular, House America’s 105 communities received a funding boost through ARPA to expand permanent housing opportunities – including more than 20,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers and over $1.5 billion HOME-ARP from HUD, as well as over $65 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These resources sparked renewed momentum and greater deployment of available funds, including the CARES Act and annual appropriations, to create permanent housing solutions.
A fact sheet on House America progress is available here.
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Todie69
This all sounds great, but as an elder,disabled, low-income individual who has tried to get assistance for affordable housing in orange county, Orlando, Florida, for the past year, it just doesn't seem true at all. The HUD waiting list has been closed since approx.2007. Meaning you can't even get on a waiting list. Then if it ever opens, there's a 8-10 year wait, if then, for ALL programs. No one ever answers the phone or calls you back. I've tried all over to get help with no success. They raised my rent by $300. in the past 2 years and I can't afford to live where I'm at. I'm in a wheelchair and my husband is disabled too. Both of us are in our 50's and we bring in a TOTAL of $1593 a month. We can't get any help, anywhere. Why?
Thursday, February 2, 2023 Report this
Todie69
If all this money supposedly went to house people through HUD, Orlando Housing Authority, then why hasn't the wait list been open since 2007? You can't even get anyone to answer a phone at or return a call from the Orlando Housing Authority! Where is all this money really going? To the salaries of employees for they can NOT help people? Someone needs to investigate!
Thursday, February 2, 2023 Report this
Todie69
If all this money supposedly went to house people through HUD, Orlando Housing Authority, then why hasn't the wait list been open since 2007? You can't even get anyone to answer a phone at or return a call from the Orlando Housing Authority! Where is all this money really going? To the salaries of employees for they can NOT help people? Someone needs to investigate!
Thursday, February 2, 2023 Report this