Rendering of house that will be built in Orlando's urban core as part of Heroes Commons. (courtesy of RhodesBrito Architects)
It's just a stretch of sparse grass in Parramore, but in the months to come it will be the site of a three-bedroom, two-bath house that Army veteran Keon Madison and his family will call home.
It'll be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, architecturally chic and — its most attractive feature — virtually free. Madison will have no mortgage.
In a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Madison, his family, local real-estate agents and Orlando city officials will celebrate the start of construction for Heroes' Commons at Jefferson Park — the region's first urban-housing development for military veterans who are struggling financially.
Madison's home, scheduled to be finished by year's end, will be the first of a half-dozen on neighboring lots, land donated by the city of Orlando.
"I think we can all agree that these veterans and their families have sacrificed enough," said Beverly Evans, chairwoman of Florida Real Estate Foundation, the charitable arm of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. "Our dream is to build these six mortgage-free homes for six honorably discharged veterans so they can become homeowners."
Madison, a 28-year-old father of four, will be the first. When he returned from duty in 2012, he found a job, but not one that paid enough to cover putting his children in day care. So he stayed home with them while his wife worked as a restaurant manager.
"When they told us we were selected, a huge weight was just lifted off me because we had been struggling for so long," said Madison, a former truck driver who graduated from Dr. Phillips High School. "We finally had some stability."
Unlike other charitable efforts to build homes for veterans in the suburbs, Heroes' Commons is intentionally in the city's urban core. In part, Evans said, that's to give them a sense of coming home.
"Maybe if there had been something like Heroes' Commons when I returned as a disabled veteran — with no degree, no skills — things would have been different for me," said Orlando city Commissioner Regina Hill, who grew up only two blocks from the project. Hill turned her life around after a felony drug arrest and spending time as a single mom on welfare. "I believe in this project. I believe it will give our veterans the solid foundation they need to do great things."
The property — along Polk Street near West Jefferson in Orlando's beleaguered Parramore district — was once home to a blighted apartment complex the city bought and bulldozed using federal grant money.
The foundation is still raising money for the construction costs — from $117,000 to $144,000 per home — but has enough to cover the first two houses. The funds come from membership dues of Orlando Realtors, grants and donations from banks, title companies and individuals.
"I feel like once we start turning some dirt over and that sign goes up on the property, that's going to trigger a response," Evans said.
The future homeowners will have no monthly payments, but they do have to have enough income to cover home maintenance, utilities, taxes and insurance. And they can't sell or borrow against the home for at least 15 years.
"We're not going to give a house to somebody only to have them flip it and sell it in two years," Evans said.
The foundation also worked with architects to create affordable housing that is visually appealing, she said.
For Madison, it's a future he never envisioned.
"I'll be the first person in my family to own a home," he said. "No one in the family even owns a decent car. Finances have been so tight. … My wife is still in shock, and I think my kids are ready to move now."
For more information, go to floridarealestatefoundation.com
Reprint courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel and
Original Post: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-homes-for-veterans-20150428-story.html
