After being displaced by Hurricane Milton, a Hillsborough County family has received the keys to a brand-new, storm-resistant Habitat for Humanity home, supported by funding from Verizon. This is the first home to be dedicated in the Windhorst Commons community, offering a powerful new beginning after the family lost nearly everything.
Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough and leaders from Verizon celebrated the home dedication for Michelle Range, a club director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. Severe flooding forced her and her two sons — Eric, 24, who has special needs, and Ah’Jeir, 18 — to leave their Plant City home.
“This home represents stability, safety, and a fresh start for Michelle and her family after an incredibly difficult chapter,” said Richard Rogers, chief development officer of Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough. “We are grateful for partners like Verizon who help us build homes, resilience and hope for families in our community.”
The day began with Verizon volunteers landscaping the property, followed by a home dedication ceremony where Michelle Range received the keys to her new home, along with a quilt presentation and the family’s first walkthrough of the finished home.
“Last year, here in Tampa, we launched our new Community Disaster Resilience Initiative to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters,” said Donna Epps, Verizon chief responsible business officer. “We were moved by the Range family’s experience, leading us to include her family’s tragic story of loss in our launch event last July. Today is truly a full-circle moment as we welcome her family to a new home. We’re proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity to support families like the Ranges with durable housing built to withstand future storms.”
Photo courtesy of Habitat Tampa Bay Hillsborough.
Through its comprehensive Community Disaster Resilience Initiative, Verizon provides preparedness resources and tools, enables access to innovative technologies and partners with like-minded organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, to keep communities safe when the next storm hits.
Like all Habitat homeowners, Michelle Range is a partner in the process, completing ‘sweat equity’ hours by building homes alongside volunteers and purchasing her home with an affordable mortgage that fits her family’s budget.
“God is good, and together we are building my family’s legacy one brick at a time,” said Michelle Range. “I’m thankful to Habitat for being such a blessing to my family and so many others, and to Verizon for investing in families like mine.”
Windhorst Commons is a 23-home Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough community designed to meet the growing need for affordable, disaster-resilient housing. The remaining homes are expected to be completed by early 2027.
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