Imagine working full time — maybe two jobs — and still not being able to cover a $400 emergency without borrowing money or selling something you own. For nearly four in 10 Americans, that’s not a hypothetical. It’s Tuesday.
Read more Commentary: Florida’s opioid process shows why regulation beats prohibition
June is National Homeownership Month, and while that might sound like a moment to celebrate backyard barbecues and freshly painted front doors, for too many Central Florida families it’s a reminder of a door that remains firmly closed to them. Not because they lack ambition. Not because they aren’t working hard. But because the financial system was never fully explained to them — and the rungs of the economic ladder were never quite within reach.
We come to this issue from two different organizations with one shared conviction: that financial literacy and homeownership, pursued together, are among the most powerful tools we have to break the cycle of poverty in our region.
The numbers tell a sobering story. Consumer credit card debt is at an all-time national high. Here at home, roughly 47% of Florida households — including the 34% identified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) — are struggling to afford basic necessities like housing, food, childcare and transportation, even while holding down jobs. That translates to approximately 4.3 million households across our state living one crisis away from the edge.
Financial instability and the inability to own a home are not separate problems. They are the same problem wearing different faces.
Research from the National Endowment for Financial Education shows that individuals who receive financial education are significantly more likely to save consistently, budget effectively, and make informed decisions about debt — all of which are foundational steps on the path toward homeownership readiness.
At Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka, we see this every day. The families we serve are not passive recipients of charity — they are partners in construction, completing hundreds of hours of sweat equity alongside volunteers, and participating in homebuyer education programs that prepare them for the financial responsibilities of ownership. A Habitat home doesn’t just provide shelter. It provides a platform from which a family can begin building stability — often for the first time in their history.
At the Fairwinds Foundation, we see the other side of the same coin. When employees and community members have access to financial wellness education — how to build a budget, establish an emergency fund, pay down debt strategically — their confidence grows, their stress decreases and their long-term outcomes improve. According to PwC’s 2026 Employee Financial Wellness Survey, 59% of employees say they are stressed about their finances right now. The inverse is equally true: financial knowledge is a productivity multiplier, a family stabilizer, and a community builder.
Read more Letters: Mail-in voting fraud | Donalds’ checkered past | Joining Israel
So, what can Central Florida do — together — to move the needle?
In addition to volunteering with local organizations that help underserved communities, here are a couple of places to start:
Connect a neighbor to housing counseling. HUD-approved housing counselors can help families understand mortgage readiness, navigate down payment assistance programs, and prepare for sustainable homeownership. Many services are free. A simple referral can change a family’s trajectory.
Support ALICE-focused nonprofits. Organizations working at the intersection of financial stability and housing need your support — whether that’s a financial contribution, a corporate partnership or simply amplifying their work in your own networks.
National Homeownership Month is a good reminder, but the work doesn’t fit neatly inside a calendar. Every month, families in Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties are making the choice between paying rent and paying down debt — between surviving and building. The path forward requires financial knowledge, accessible opportunity and a community willing to invest in both.
A home is more than four walls. For a family that has never had one, it is a turning point. It opens the door to stability and a better future. Let’s make sure more families can walk through it.
Penny Seater is chief executive officer at Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. Adrian Kierulf-Velez is vice president of external affairs and philanthropy at Fairwinds Credit Union and executive director of the Fairwinds Foundation.
Read more Bastian Schweinsteiger says his remarks on Ivory Coast’s style at World Cup were not about people