Completed in 2019, The Umatilla Veterans Village was the first sustainable pocket neighborhood built by Habitat Lake-Sumter.
Located in the heart of Umatilla, the Veterans Village is a 14-home development created to provide entry-level, affordable homeownership to our service men and women. Planned in the Florida vernacular style, the pocket neighborhood is a front porch community, beautifully situated on Lake Enola with walkable access to downtown and near the local bus line. Each unit is ADA compliant, energy efficient to the highest standards, and sustainable.
During development, The Umatilla Veterans Village was a collaborative project focused on providing access to affordable, quality housing while also offering holistic wraparound services to the residents through a partnership with Combat Veterans to Careers. They offered new homeowners comprehensive support services in career development, mental and physical health, transportation, finances, education, navigating the VA, and legal matters – any needs the veterans may have, as they transition from service to civilian life and well after retirement.
As an extension of our Veterans Housing Initiative, the support services first established during construction of the Umatilla Veterans Village remain central to our work today. Through this initiative, Veterans in Lake and Sumter Counties continue to receive access to affordable homeownership opportunities, critical home repairs and preservation, and personalized wraparound services tailored to each partner family.
According to Veterans Affairs 1.6 million veterans live in Florida – 45,000 reside in Lake and Sumter Counties.
A safe, affordable home provides our veterans with peace of mind. A home is where we feel safe, where we connect with our families, and where we establish ourselves within our community. Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter believes that every veteran deserves a place to call home.
