Our History
Ability Housing opens its doors as a group home for adults with developmental disabilities in Jacksonville, Florida
Our mission expands to creating permanent supportive housing to formerly homeless individuals and families.
In 2009, Ability Housing’s Northeast Florida Villages Program (NEFVP) began with the purchase of our first multi-family property, Mayfair Village. Built in 1956, this 80-unit apartment complex located near Jacksonville’s St. Nicolas neighborhood needed extensive repairs. Some of the units were uninhabitable, and the property had become a focal point for illegal drug activity. To restore this community, Ability Housing installed new management and contracted with River Region Human Services to provide on-site support services to address drug activity and safety concerns
Mayfair Village was Ability Housing’s first multi-family development. It serves formerly homeless individuals and families and provides voluntary resources to all residents. The community underwent significant rehabilitation. Today, it is a clean, safe, and inclusive community where individuals and families can grow together.
Village on Wiley opened in August 2015 to serve Jacksonville’s most vulnerable citizens. Its residents were identified as the community’s highest utilizers of crisis services, and more than 80% of its residents have experienced chronic homelessness. It was funded with a special appropriation and was part of “The Solution That Saves,” a Florida pilot program that identified the improved outcomes and Florida-specific cost benefits of providing Permanent Supportive Housing to high utilizers of crisis services.
In 2019 Village on Mercy our first property in Central Florida opened.
Village on Mercy is a prime example of how Ability Housing transforms areas of blight into community assets. In 2017, the City of Orlando demolished the existing boarded-up and abandoned buildings, leaving a clean slate. Village on Mercy comprises 166 affordable housing units, a community center, a playground, a fitness trail and recreation space located along Lake Lawne.
In 2023 Ability Housing was home to over 2,000 residents. Our residents include over 600 children, and 700 formally homeless individuals.
In the fall of 2025 Ability Housing opened Villages of New Augustine. It marked our first property in St. John's County and brought the total number of units to 874 across Duval, Orange, Osceola, and St. John's counties.