Last Friday, family and associates of Universal Roof & Contracting met with Orlando families temporarily housed at the Coalition for the Homeless. Assembling & serving bagged lunches, our group was warmly welcomed by staff and residents alike.
The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida located downtown Orlando has three facilities assisting area homeless men, women and children. Universal Contracting Community Works met and served lunch to the residents of the Center for Women and Families (CWF). Located on the Coalition’s main campus, this facility can accommodate 240 individuals. The CWF is made up of three distinct sections – a single women’s dorm; a dorm for single mothers with young children; and individual family rooms for intact families, single mothers with older children, and single fathers with children.
There are two other facilities; the Women’s Residential Counseling Center is transitional housing for single women and single women with children with 138 beds, and the Men’s Pavilion is an emergency drop-in shelter for the chronically homeless male. Open to the community for dinner, the Men’s Pavilion serves approx. 375-400 men, women and children each night. Currently under construction, the two-story Men’s Service Center residential facility scheduled to open early 2014 will offer much-needed case management and supportive services for up to 250 men at any given time.
Universal’s Community Works is in agreement with the Coalition’s goal that they not only provide shelter and nutritious meals but they also offer homeless families Counsel regarding budgeting and developing a plan for self-sufficiency as well as programs for Substance Abuse Recovery, Education & Job Skills Training, Veteran Services, and support for Victims of Crime. And with a desire to keep families together during their time of crisis, they are one of the few emergency shelters in the area that accepts intact families.
In 2014 and beyond, Universal Contracting Community Works plans to continue our efforts to see restoration, healing and progress come to the lives of greater Orlando area residents through purposed works of our employees and associates. Much appreciation goes to DiPasqua Enterprises, local Subway franchisee, for their generous donation of the sandwiches for our 130 bagged lunches. And we want to sincerely thank the Coalition of the Homeless of Central Florida for giving us the opportunity to serve local families in need during this Christmas Season. The blessing was truly ours.

Listen every Sunday at 2pm to “In The House with Ken & Jared” on WDBO’s News Talk FM96.5 or visit us online at Universal Roof & Contracting. Call us now for a free estimate on your next Home Improvement Project. 407-295-7403