ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — One non-profit in Orlando is planning to expand the services it provides to the community.
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United Against Poverty Orlando, or UP, wants to add low-income housing to its campus.
“A lot of families are relying on United Against Poverty as their support system,” Anjali Vaya, UP’s Executive Director, said.
UP’s more than 20-year-old building along Michigan Street in Orlando needs significant upgrades. The facility offers food, clothing, and many other services to those in need.
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A collapsed roof and water damage throughout have left the structure with band-aids patching trouble spots.
So, leaders are looking to build a $16-million comprehensive campus across the road on Iliana Street.
“It would be a 40,000-square-foot building in one parcel,” Vaya said. “In this new building, everything is within that perimeter. It’ll be accessible.”
Once services are moved to that new campus, Vaya hopes to use the Michigan property for affordable housing.
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“We can go up to about 200 units on this parcel,” Vaya said. “It would be 2 buildings.”
The first goal is to house seniors whose income is below 200% of the poverty level.
“It’s heartbreaking to know that they can no longer afford their homes and make their ends meet,” Vaya said. “They’re coming to us for a solution, an affordable solution.”
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More than 500 people use UP’s services daily. Vaya said funding will determine the timeline of this project.
UP is reaching out to Orange County and the City of Orlando for grant funding and plans to launch a funding campaign to get the community involved.
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