It’s delivery day at Heroes’ Commons at Jefferson Park!

The sixth and final home for the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Foundation’s veterans housing initiative arrived today via transport truck. This modular home, which was constructed off site at a factory, represents a strong alternative for affordable-housing programs.

“Modular homes are less expensive and quicker to build than traditional on-site construction homes,” explains ORRF Chairman Bob Caldwell, Caldwell Realty Services. “They are energy efficient and compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, plus can be easily customized to accommodate special needs. In addition, the homes themselves are lovely to look at and easy to live in.”

The home is 1,400 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It will take approximately two months of on-site work to complete the home’s transition from factory to ground. At that time, the new owner, local Army veteran Tara Cline, will join the foundation in an uplifting key ceremony and a celebration marking the completion of the Heroes’ Commons at Jefferson Park initiative.

Heroes’ Commons at Jefferson Park

HCJP is a village made up of six mortgage-free homes presented to local military veterans. The homes are provided to income-qualified veterans chosen by a selection committee, and they are also offered supportive social services to ease the transition to civilian life.

In addition, the initiative’s location in the Parramore area of downtown Orlando gives HCJP an important role in the revitalization of this historic neighborhood.

The project is part of the foundation’s “Art In Architecture” program, which collaborates with local architects, builders, lenders, housing organizations, and municipalities to create affordable housing opportunities. The City of Orlando donated the land, and the foundation has raised more than $900,000 in support of the initiative.

“The Orlando Regional REALTOR® Foundation is committed to creating homeownership opportunities for veterans along with the first responders, educators, and others who form the backbone of the Central Florida workforce,” says Caldwell. “We can never repay our military men and women for their sacrifice and service, but we hope that the gift of homeownership through the Heroes’ Commons at Jefferson Park initiative can be a small token of our appreciation.”

Does your holiday decor feature a lighted Tyrannosaurus? Attendees of ORRA's annual winter gathering at the Orlando Science Center were welcomed with just that cheery sight, along with a nice plesiosaur and several other fossils that are too hard to spell.

Of course dinos were not the only feature of the ORRA Jolly Holiday Member Party. More than 400 festive REALTORS® and guests were treated to a sumptuous buffet, music by an electronic violinist that awed the crowd, and networking on an outdoor terrace overlooking the Orlando skyline (on one of our coldest nights of the year!).

Best of all, partygoers contributed more than $6,300 through to the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Foundation plus a mountain of toys and gifts to BASE Camp Children's Cancer Foundation.
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