ORLANDO, Fla. — Shovels went into the ground Wednesday in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood for a six-story building that will become the new home for women and children helped by the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless.
The Center for Women and Families is going up on North Terry Avenue and will take the place of the coalition’s current building, which is roughly 75 years old. Plans call for about 105,000 square feet of space, with 112 more short-term beds plus 20 transitional units holding 75 beds for families who need a longer stay before moving into stable housing.
Coalition CEO Brad Butterstein said the building is meant to do more than give people a bed. Families will get a health check when they arrive, and AdventHealth will run care on site so parents and children do not have to leave for routine medical visits. Workforce training, counseling and meals are also part of the plan.
Public money is a large piece of the financing. The city of Orlando has committed $10 million, Orange County $19.5 million, and federal sources another $3 million. City Commissioner Shan Rose, whose District 5 includes Parramore, said the transitional units fill a gap because most local shelters do not offer them.
The need is wide. The regional Homeless Services Network now counts more than 2,700 people without stable housing across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. The new center is expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2028.
Until then, the coalition keeps serving families at its older building nearby. City and county leaders have described the project as one part of a wider push to add housing options and connect people living without shelter to services.
