ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools say they hope to expand on an initiative that will give eligible school district employees access to affordable housing units and plan to talk about two new possible locations at their school board meeting Tuesday.

According to District 3 School Board Member Alicia Farrant, the district hopes to secure 10 more affordable housing units in Apopka and Lake Nona, which adds to the 15 spots already designated to OCPS employees at the Palm Gardens Orlando Apartments.

It is an initiative the district hopes will ease the financial burden for their employees.

As the need for affordable housing continues to grow nationally and in Central Florida, local organizations are hoping to combat it, including OCPS.

Thanks to an affordable housing agreement between OCPS and One Stop Housing, just last month, four more OCPS employees were able to move into the Palm Gardens Orlando Apartments, adding to the three that were already there.

“I’m pumped for this initiative that has really been pushed by Dr. (Bridget) Williams, who’s a part of our amazing staff at OCPS, and I’m excited for our teachers and employees who can benefit from affordable housing here in a very expensive Orlando, Orange County," shared Farrant.

Farrant says OCPS is not stopping there, however.

“We have quite a few that are coming in 2026 and 10 have been secured. But I’m hopeful that if more people apply, maybe they can open up some more spots for us," Farrant said. "Ten doesn’t seem like a lot but it is something and I’m excited for anything we can do to help our community.”

The OCPS board is expected to discuss these proposed locations and the qualifications to apply for and receive affordable housing at their meeting on Tuesday. And with employees from support staff to teachers eligible to apply, organizations like the Orange Education Support Professional Association say this is a valuable initiative.

OESPA's President Ronald David sent Spectrum News 13 a statement, saying:

“Being the lowest paid employees in the OCPS family, we welcome the opportunity for affordable housing.”

And it is a move that Farrant says she hopes shows that the district truly cares about their own.

“I hope every staff and employee here at OCPS knows that as a school board and as a district we are fighting in every way to help make sure that you have the money that you need to raise your family and live a wonderful life here in Orange County," Farrant said. 

Tuesday's board meeting starts at 5 p.m., with the discussion on affordable housing being an early agenda item. It is a discussion, however, that cannot be addressed by the public.

If the district receives more applications than available units, Farrant says they will then request for more units from their partners and are happy to work with any of their employees to see if they qualify to help ease some of the costs that may burden them.