Hands Of Central Florida

What Hands Of Central Florida does

HANDS of Central Florida (legal name: Housing and Neighborhood Development Services of Central Florida, Inc.) is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 by the Orange County Housing Finance Authority Board of Directors. It operates as a HUD-Approved and HUD-certified Housing Counseling Agency and as a federally approved Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), serving very low, low, and moderate-income residents across Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, and Volusia Counties in Central Florida. Core service lines include 8-hour HUD-certified homebuyer education seminars (delivered in person at the Lakeland corporate office and community venues, with a new EHome online option for Orange County residents), one-on-one housing counseling modules (pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, credit/budget analysis, tenant/landlord, and reverse mortgage for seniors 62+), and a website-based affordable apartment search database and new-homes listing portal serving income-eligible buyers.

The underlying technology is minimal: HANDS does not operate a proprietary technology product, and service delivery relies on in-person seminars, private counseling sessions, and a public-facing website hosting classifieds-style search tools. The organization's housing development activity is the more material asset base — it has developed and sold 191 single-family units and acquired or built 1,074 affordable rental units, with over 880 currently owned across three counties. Cumulative outcomes include 38,645 families counseled and 2,600+ homeownership outcomes since inception, with about 4,000 residents served annually and 3,200+ served through the Affordable Housing Resource Center each year.

The business model is grant- and rental-income-funded rather than client-fee-funded. Primary revenue streams are HUD and Orange County funding (HUD/Orange County Community Development Block Grants), supplemented by corporate and private foundation grants (Wells Fargo Foundation $26,500 in 2023, Truist Foundation $20,000, Bank United $10,000, OUC $11,400 in 2024, Dr. P. Phillips Foundation for website). Client-facing pricing is freemium: counseling and seminars are free for Orange County/City of Orlando residents (funded by HUD/Orange County), with $100 seminar fees for non-Orange County residents, $99/$60 EHome online fees, and $100 administrative listing fees from realtors/builders posting affordable homes for sale. Go-to-market is community- and partner-driven, relying on referrals from county governments, housing authorities, lenders, and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Hands Of Central Florida

Legal name

Housing and Neighborhood Development Services of Central Florida, Inc.

Website

https://cflhands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HANDS of Central Florida is a HUD-approved nonprofit housing counseling agency and CHDO founded in 1989, serving low- and moderate-income residents across five Central Florida counties with homebuyer education, one-on-one housing counseling, and affordable rental property development and ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Counseling Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Housing counseling services
• Homebuyer education
• Foreclosure prevention
• Affordable housing
• Financial literacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and HUD Funding: HANDS operates as a HUD-certified and HUD-funded Housing Counseling Agency. It receives funding from HUD and Orange County to provide free counseling services to clients. This constitutes the primary funding mechanism enabling free or low-cost service delivery.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: HANDS receives grant funding from corporate foundations including Bank United ($10,000 for pre-purchase counseling), Truist Foundation ($20,000 for one-on-one counseling), Wells Fargo Foundation ($26,500 in 2023), and Orlando Utilities Commission ($11,400 in 2024). The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation also provided funding for website development.
3. Seminar Registration Fees: Orange County and City of Orlando residents attend homebuyer seminars free of charge. Non-Orange County residents pay $100 per person. EHome online seminars are available for Orange County residents with extenuating circumstances at $99 (or $60 with coupon for qualifying applicants).
4. Listing Administrative Fees: Realtors and builders pay a $100 administrative fee per listing to post affordable homes for sale on the HANDS website, with listings running for 90 days. Additional modifications cost $25 per change.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hands Of Central Florida (HANDS) is a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency that provides free homebuyer education seminars, one-on-one housing counseling, foreclosure prevention counseling, and affordable apartment/home search tools. The organization serves very low-, low-, and moderate-income residents across Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, and Volusia counties in Central Florida, and has operated continuously as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 1989.

Product overview

HANDS of Central Florida operates as a HUD-approved housing counseling agency providing a suite of services centered around affordable housing access. The core offerings include Homebuyer Education Seminars (8-hour in-person or online courses) that provide certificates required for downpayment assistance programs, and One-on-One Housing Counseling covering pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, credit/budget analysis, tenant/landlord issues, and reverse mortgage counseling. The organization maintains an Affordable Apartment Search database and New Homes for Sale listings for income-eligible buyers. Services are primarily funded by HUD and Orange County, making them mostly free to clients. The organization serves residents of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, and Polk counties in Central Florida, with its certificates of education accepted by multiple municipalities for their downpayment assistance programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homebuyer Education Seminars

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 38,645 families have received counseling since 1989, with over 2,600 becoming homeowners.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orange County Housing Finance AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHANDS was created by members of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Housing Finance Authority in 1989 to provide affordable housing opportunities for Central Florida residents. The authority supported the establishment of the Affordable Housing Resource Center.
• Polk County Housing and Neighborhood DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolk County Housing and Neighborhood Development (SHIP program) works with HANDS for down payment assistance to eligible homebuyers, including the property at 12 Cedar Street, Haines City, FL 33844.
• Local LendersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal lenders in Central Florida partner with HANDS by accepting HANDS' certificates of education in loan packages, referring clients to HANDS' programs, providing volunteers and accommodations for homebuyer seminars, and contributing workbooks for the education program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GreenPath Financial Wellness: HUD-approved housing counseling and financial wellness agency providing pre-purchase, foreclosure, and reverse mortgage counseling across multiple states. Comparable service portfolio and HUD-certified status.
• Habitat for Humanity East Polk County: Local Habitat affiliate covering Polk County — HANDS' Lakeland corporate office is located there. Operates in the same affordable housing development and counseling space within HANDS' core service geography.
• Apprisen Financial Advocates: HUD-approved housing counseling agency offering pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure, and reverse mortgage counseling. Functionally analogous to HANDS' counseling modules with similar mission focus on financial stability.
• Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola: Local Habitat affiliate covering the same Central Florida counties HANDS serves, also building affordable single-family homes and providing homebuyer education. Most direct geographic peer in affordable housing development and homeownership preparation.
• Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions: HUD-approved housing counseling agency offering pre-purchase, foreclosure prevention, and reverse mortgage counseling nationwide. Closest direct functional peer in HUD-certified financial and housing counseling.
• HomeFree-USA: HUD-approved national housing counseling agency focused on homeownership education and foreclosure prevention, with strong minority and underserved community focus comparable to HANDS' target population.

Broad incumbents

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): National umbrella organization for HUD-approved credit and housing counseling agencies. HANDS' credit/budget counseling modules and overall mission align with NFCC member agency offerings at a larger industry level.
• NeighborWorks America: National network of 200+ affordable housing and community development nonprofits. HANDS operates in the same affordable housing counseling and development space as NeighborWorks' local affiliates, particularly NeighborWorks of Central Florida.
• NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America): National HUD-certified counseling agency offering homebuyer education, mortgage assistance, and foreclosure prevention. Directly comparable mission and HUD-certified service mix, though at much larger national scale.

Regional players

• Rural Neighborhoods: Florida-based affordable housing developer and Community Housing Development Organization serving South Florida. Comparable CHDO model with affordable rental and for-sale housing development, though operating in a different region of Florida.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HandsOrlando
• Xx.com/handsorlando

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hands Of Central Florida