ORLANDO, Fla. – A flurry of construction is happening in the Holden Heights community as workers begin building a home for a local family in two weeks.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County held an event Monday to mark the construction kick-off.
“It takes a team effort of everyone in the community working together to assure that this home is ready in two weeks,” President and CEO Catherine Steck McManus said.
The nonprofit organization is partnering with Williams Company for the fourth annual “Home for the Holidays.”
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Through the program, Williams Company, along with its subcontractors and vendors, donate the materials and labor to build a home in time for the holidays.
The home is one of 20 to 25 homes built annually by Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County.
Typically through Habitat, construction of a home takes a couple of months, but project leaders said the accelerated timetable is possible through partnerships, including Orange County.
“Every half of the day we’ve got all the vendors, the contractors lined up to show up right when we need them to make sure everything goes off without a hitch,” said Williams Company VP of Operations Matt Olberding.
Future homeowner Joselyn Deshong attended the ceremony for her new home on Monday.
“We’re coming from a two-bedroom town home to a three-bedroom, two-bath home that we own,” Deshong said.
Deshong is a mother of two who works in records retrieval for a local cancer institute.
After being unable to find an affordable home on one income, Deshong turned to Habitat for Humanity but initially faced obstacles in meeting income and credit requirements.
“My credit was shot,” she said. “The second time, I didn’t have enough income, so it was like wow, another door slammed in my face.”
Deshong worked on improving her credit and pursued a raise at work. When she was able to apply for a third time, she was finally accepted into the program.
Deshong said owning a home is a dream come true and having a stable monthly mortgage payment will allow her to save for other goals.
She’s expecting to receive the keys to her new home Dec. 8.
The homeowner application portal for Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County opens at 12 p.m. Wednesday.
For details on applying, visit the Habitat for Humanity chapter’s website.
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