A Winter Garden nonprofit that has spent more than 25 years supporting individuals and families living with disabilities has purchased 10 acres of land at 1333 E. Crown Point Road in Ocoee, aiming to turn the property into a permanent hub with cottages, a marketplace and supervised care. Lift Disability Network's future campus is expected to include about a dozen cottages, a community playground, new offices and businesses designed to give residents both a place to live and a place to work.
The purchase, first reported by West Orange Times & Observer, caps a search that began two years earlier when founder Jim Hukill and Ryan Rouse approached Mike Yoakum about establishing offices and storing equipment. Yoakum, who leads Cornerstone Community Church, ended up offering to sell the church property to Lift Disability Network altogether. According to the same report, the city of Ocoee had previously denied Hukill's request to use the land because it carried residential zoning, a hurdle the nonprofit will still need to navigate as construction moves forward.
Yoakum ultimately sold the property for three-quarters of its appraised price and structured the deal at 0% interest, terms the paper's report frames as central to making the purchase possible. He has a personal connection to the mission: Yoakum has a 34-year-old son with autism and said he identifies with parents seeking a place for their children with disabilities. Cornerstone Community Church and Lift Disability Network are now working together to build out the campus, and the church building itself will undergo renovations as part of the project.
From a Living Room to a Regional Campus
Lift Disability Network was incorporated as a Florida non-profit on November 12, 1998, and still lists its principal office at 611 Business Park Blvd, Suite 105, in Winter Garden, according to Florida Division of Corporations records. Hukill, who was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy at 20 months old, launched the organization with his wife Rhonette after searching for disability family support resources of their own, per the nonprofit's own account on its website. The organization operated out of Hukill's home for 13 years before moving into its first 1,500-square-foot commercial space in Winter Garden in December 2018, a step the group described at the time as the beginning of building a permanent community hub.
Since 2023, Lift Disability Network has rented space from Cornerstone Community Church for day programs, events and fundraisers. That same year, Stacie Rouse launched the Elevate adult day program, which serves adults ages 18 and older and teaches social and life skills. Elevate has grown from six members in 2023 to 27 current members today, per the nonprofit's information shared with the Times & Observer. Stacie Rouse said the church will continue using the shared space on Sunday mornings even as the broader campus plans take shape.
Cottages, a Marketplace and Jobs on the Property
Under the plan, house parents will live in the villages to oversee residents' general care, while residents and day-program members will have opportunities to work on the property in the marketplace and offices. Lift Disability Network has said it wants to create a coffee shop or marketplace for collaboration, networking, meetings and conversation. Ryan Rouse said the community hub will help residents become a family, and construction and renovations are expected to take a few years to complete.
The nonprofit's broader programming already extends beyond day services. Lift Disability Network operates Breakaway, an annual five-day retreat and summer camp that pairs participants with individual “buddies” for recreation and family respite, and it partnered with the Rotary Club of Winter Garden to host the Rotary Medical Equipment Bank, distributing donated wheelchairs, walkers and tub seats to local families. After the onset of COVID-19, the organization also launched My Tribe, a weekly online Bible study and support group connecting disability-impacted families across six states.
A Local Project Against a Statewide Backdrop
The Ocoee purchase lands amid persistent statewide strain on disability services. As of June 2026, 37,645 Floridians were enrolled in the state's iBudget Medicaid waiver program while 15,504 people remained on the pre-enrollment waitlist for home and community-based services, according to the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities. The same agency has noted that Florida ranks in the bottom two states nationwide in total fiscal effort, spending less than $2.00 per $1,000 of statewide personal income on intellectual and developmental disability programs.
Locally, U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimates for 2020-2024 show that 7.3% of residents under 65 in the city of Ocoee live with a disability, while about 7.9% of residents under 65 across Orange County have a disability. Lift Disability Network says it aims to expand housing, employment and independence for individuals with disabilities, and it will provide a place for community members to gather, have fun and connect. The organization continues to accept donations and volunteers as it moves toward building out the new campus.
