The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida announced plans Wednesday for a new six-story Center for Women and Families, marking the public launch of a $75 million capital campaign aimed at reshaping how Central Florida responds to homelessness among women and children.
The initiative, known as the Foundations Project, has already secured $50 million in public and private funding before its formal public rollout, according to organization leaders.
The project comes as Orlando and Orange County continue grappling with rising housing costs, stagnant wages for many workers and a growing number of families living on the edge of homelessness.
The Coalition’s current Center for Women and Families operates out of a former television news station that was converted into a shelter more than 75 years ago.
Officials said the replacement facility will add 112 shelter beds, 76 bridge housing units and an on-site health clinic. The building will also be designed around trauma-informed care, an approach intended to reduce environmental stress for survivors of domestic violence, family instability and other forms of trauma.
Among those attending Wednesday’s announcement were Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings, Orange County Commissioner Shan Rose and Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
Frost also presented a $3 million federal investment for the project. The funding adds to previous commitments of $10 million from the City of Orlando and $18.5 million from Orange County.
Supporters say the project could become one of the largest homelessness-response investments in Central Florida in years. Critics of shelter-centered approaches, however, continue questioning whether long-term reductions in homelessness can happen without broader solutions addressing rent prices and affordable housing supply.
Additional information about the project is available through Foundations Project.
