Six renovated apartments inside Orlando's Maxwell Terrace are ready for veterans experiencing homelessness, carved out of what used to be a hotel penthouse suite. The units have already been assigned to veterans, but nobody can move in just yet — stair work still needs to finish and an elevator still needs to be installed before anyone unpacks a single box.
From Hotel Penthouse to Veteran Housing
Pathlight Home unveiled the completed apartments with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to Spectrum News 13, timed one day after Veterans Day. The renovation converted the former penthouse suite into five ADA-accessible apartments, with a sixth unit added on the ground floor. Pathlight Home said it had explored other uses for the old penthouse space before settling on veteran housing, and the finished units include kitchen areas and accessible bathrooms designed for residents with mobility challenges.
The project traces back to a partnership Orange County struck with Pathlight Home through its Affordable Housing Trust Fund, aimed at creating housing for chronically homeless disabled veterans, according to a notice from Orange County's engagement portal. That early plan described turning the former Hilton Inn penthouse near John Young Parkway into five ADA-accessible units for disabled veterans earning between 30 and 50 percent of the Area Median Income, with one additional unit built on the bottom floor — matching what has now been completed.
Why Move-In Is On Hold
The six apartments have been assigned to veterans, but they cannot move in until the stair work is completed and the elevator is installed, per the same Spectrum News 13 account. Once residents do settle in, they will have access to on-site case management, employment assistance, culinary training and mental health counseling at Maxwell Terrace, the station reports. Pathlight HOME's own property listings note that Maxwell Terrace houses 338 efficiency units total, along with the kitchen and culinary training programs the apartments will tap into.
A Veteran Who Understands the Wait
Michael Bailey, a U.S. Army veteran who experienced homelessness after leaving the military, now works as a case manager at Pathlight Home, helping other veterans access housing and resources. Bailey said receiving the keys to his own home restored his sense of identity and made him feel productive, and he said more affordable housing is still needed for veterans in the region.
Carl Falconer, speaking to the same outlet, said most of Pathlight Home's current properties are at capacity and that the organization is actively seeking additional housing opportunities. Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose said the city will continue working with community organizations to address affordable housing needs going forward.
Funding Behind the Renovation
Orange County provided funding to help renovate the apartments, contributing more than $500,000 in state housing initiatives partnership funds along with just less than $100,000 from its affordable housing trust fund, the station reported. The City of Orlando added more than $18,000 in transportation and parks impact fee waivers through its Orlando Unlocked program.
Pathlight Home's veteran outreach effort has helped house 67 veterans so far and has enrolled almost 100 overall, according to the figures reported by Spectrum News 13. That work builds on the organization's No Buddy Left Behind program, which was funded by a $150,000 Cigna Foundation grant and had helped 24 veterans — eight of them into permanent housing — as of a report by the Orlando Sentinel. The Sentinel also noted that Pathlight HOME owns two Orlando housing complexes where rent runs $725 a month and includes access to a job center, food pantry and donation closet.
The Broader Need Across Central Florida
The push for more veteran housing comes against a backdrop of persistent regional need. The 2026 Point-in-Time count recorded 2,724 people experiencing homelessness across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, just two fewer than the year before, according to the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. That total was still 26.6% higher than the count from three years earlier, though the same count found 993 people living unsheltered, a decrease of 97 from 2025.
Veteran-specific numbers have varied by report. A January 2025 count identified at least 189 homeless veterans across the three counties, according to Orlando Weekly, while a later 2025 report from the Sentinel cited more than 200 homeless veterans in Central Florida, nearly 10% of the region's homeless population. Nationally, the number of unhoused veterans declined 11% from 2020 to 2022, per Orlando Weekly's reporting.
Other regional efforts have also targeted the issue. The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness launched a rapid rehousing program for low-income veterans funded by a $6.7 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant, double a previous award, Orlando Weekly reported. A decade earlier, a separate housing-first effort assigned veterans case managers to help navigate landlord issues and connect them to health care and social services, according to a 2015 Sentinel report — a model echoed in the support services now planned for Maxwell Terrace's newest residents.
