Making a House a Home

by Jeannine Gage

For 16 years, Dave’s House has transformed lives across Orlando, providing one of the most important resources a person with serious mental illness can receive: a safe, affordable, permanent home along with the support needed to stay well.

Now, the nonprofit organization is preparing to expand its mission northward with a new housing community in Seminole County – a project years in the making.

Dave’s House currently operates six single-family homes in Orlando through a long-standing partnership with Aspire Health Partners, the state’s largest nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider. The homes serve adults living with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

“We provide permanent supportive housing to adults with serious mental illness,” says Ellen O’Connor, CEO of Dave’s House. “But what makes our model unique is the wraparound support – case management, life-skills training, medication assistance, and a community that helps keep them stable.”

Building Independence

The project in Seminole County, known as the Dave’s House at Celery Community, represents a significant expansion of that model. A five-acre property on Celery Avenue in Sanford – donated by a family that previously operated a small assisted-living home for men with mental illness – will be transformed into a community of duplexes alongside a 3,700-square-foot clubhouse. 

Each of the community’s 21-31 residents will live in a one-bedroom or shared two-bedroom unit, designed to provide both independence and affordability. Residents will pay about 30 percent of their income toward rent. 

The clubhouse will serve as the heart of the community, with large gathering spaces, a teaching kitchen, a computer lab, and shared office space for case managers. Outdoors, residents will enjoy a wraparound porch, a gazebo, and garden areas modeled after similar features at Dave’s House properties in Orlando.

As with all Dave’s House programs, residents must be med compliant, meaning actively engaged in treatment and taking prescribed medications – for the stability and safety of all residents.

Meeting a Critical Need

For families navigating the upheaval of a child’s mental-health crisis, such stability is vitally important. Bradley Whiteman, a newly appointed Dave’s House board member and construction expert on the Sanford project, knows this firsthand. His son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at 17.

“The journey is very difficult,” says Bradley. “As a parent, you think it’s just teenage behavior at first. I’m a former Marine – I’m sturdy, I fix things. But this? I was flat on the floor. There’s no cure, and it’s so hard to figure out how to help your child.”

At times, Bradley’s son required hospitalization. Other times, the young man – lost in hallucinations – would disappear or call in panic from miles away.

“Housing for people like this is so critical,” says Bradley. “A safe place with support can be lifesaving. That’s why I’m passionate about this project.”

Funding for Dave’s House is coming from a mixture of private philanthropy and public support. The Sanford development is projected to cost about $8.7 million. About 65 percent of that will come from government financing, including low-interest HUD-funded loans administered by the state. Dave’s House has already secured a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and 16 housing vouchers through the Seminole County Housing Authority.

Community Partnerships Are Key

To help manage and operate the new community, Dave’s House has brought on two key partners: Community Assisted & Supported Living (CASL), a statewide leader in supportive housing, and HomeAid Orlando, which will serve as general contractor and leverage industry partners to significantly reduce construction costs.

While fundraising continues, community introductions have begun. In Seminole County, where the organization is less familiar than it is in Orange County, local churches and civic groups have shown strong interest.

Kathleen McCorvie, a member of United Women in Faith at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, says they have long backed Dave’s House and will continue to do so  in Sanford.

“We support Dave’s House because they’re doing good work for seriously mentally ill adults,” says Kathleen. “I’ve watched them grow over the years. They’re compassionate, they’re committed, and they truly make a difference.”

Groundbreaking and site preparation is planned for 2026, with construction in 2027, and a projected opening in 2028.

For those who will eventually call the Sanford community home, it will be more than a fresh start. Dave’s House will be a stabilizing foundation in a world that too often offers uncertainty. And for families like the Whitemans, it represents hope for a better life for their loved one.