SANFORD, Fla. — A new affordable housing project in Sanford is taking a significant step forward, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta.

What You Need To Know

  • Dave’s House is building 16 supportive housing units in Sanford to provide affordable, stable housing for adults with disabilities, including those with mental illnesses

  • The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta awarded a $1 million grant to help fund construction, marking a critical step in the $10 million project’s development

  • The project aims to address the lack of affordable housing solutions for individuals transitioning out of homelessness, offering them a chance to live independently with the necessary support

The project, led by nonprofit organization Dave’s House, will create permanent supportive housing for adults with disabilities, including those living with mental illness.

The initiative will bring eight duplexes, totaling 16 units, to Celery Avenue in Sanford. Ellen O’Connor, CEO of Dave’s House, called the grant a “game changer” for their expansion into Seminole County.

“It’s a complex grant application that the whole team worked on. But it will be a game changer and have a huge impact as we work on expanding into Seminole County,” O’Connor said.

Dave’s House aims to address the critical gap in affordable housing options for adults with disabilities, including mental illness. 

“For people who most of whom have lived in homelessness, and they’ve been on a really difficult journey to stabilize themselves and really ready themselves to live independently but then when they get to that next step, they’re just not enough affordable housing solutions for them,” O’Connor added.

Vincent Nepolitan, CEO of Renovate Me and a former homeless individual, emphasized the importance of resources like those provided by Dave’s House.

“People that are suffering from mental illness and any sort of disability they need it the most because they need guidance, they need help, they need support. And, you know, Dave’s House and these things that are coming to the community to help these people, it’s just amazing,” Nepolitan said.

The project will rely on a combination of public and private funding. Dave’s House plans to break ground in 2026, with units priced to meet affordable housing requirements at 30% of a tenant’s income.