On July 27, 2015, City Council approved as part of the FY2015-2016 Annual Action Plan for Housing and Community Development programs, a request from Harbor House of Central Florida Inc., for CDBG funding in the amount of Seven Hundred Seventeen Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars ($717,723) to assist with the construction of a new 27,500 sq. ft. short-term housing facility which will provide 104 beds for victims of domestic violence.  

Harbor House is a private not-for-profit corporation that provides safe shelter, a 24- hour crisis hotline, counseling, legal advocacy and justice for thousands of domestic violence survivors and their children each year. They are the only state-certified domestic violence center in Orange County.

Harbor House reports indicate that last year, 75% of the 1,068 individuals who required short-term housing at Harbor House resided at a City of Orlando address prior to becoming homeless due to domestic violence. Half of those survivors were young children, with 52% of those children under the age of five. Of those residents, 90.7% came from very low income households. Data from the Orlando Police Department states 2,976 domestic violence calls were received in 2015.

The total estimated cost of the construction project is $4,972,270. The City’s contribution of $717,723 in CDBG funds will be applied towards built-in furniture, fixtures, security system, landscaping and irrigation system for the new facility. Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of August, 2016.