The IDDeal Place secures $1 million state grant to build homes for adults with disabilities

Palm Beach County, Florida – The IDDeal Place in Palm Beach County, an independent housing community for people with mild to moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), has secured a $1 million General Appropriation Act grant under the FY24-25 Florida State Budget.

The state grant will advance the vertical construction of permanent housing for adults in southeast Florida who have been diagnosed with I/DD. 

“We are so thankful for this grant and its timing. It’s a game changer for people with I/DD; housing is a fundamental human right that ensures their dignity, independence, and full participation in the community,” said Denise Anderson and Bonnie Schmidt, co-founders of The IDDeal Foundation. They are both the mothers of adult daughters with special needs. 

The IDDeal Foundation partnered with The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation (PFCF), based in Boca Raton, to bring the IDDeal Place to fruition. The PFCF has committed nearly $4 million toward the project, which will break ground later this year. 

“We thank Governor DeSantis and our local legislators for including the grant in this year’s budget,” said Nancy Pulte Rickard, president of the The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation. “Our work is guided by the belief in the inherent dignity of all people. As the inaugural donor to the IDDeal Place, we believe it is a true embodiment of our mission – not only to provide housing for those in need but to foster a community where people can flourish. All people have the right to live with dignity, reflecting their inherent worth and sacredness.”

“Too often, adults with I/DD are forced to live at the margins of society. The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation has been the best possible partner in establishing the IDDeal Place because they believe that all people deserve to live with independence and a sense of belonging. We are so grateful for their leadership,” said Anderson and Schmidt. 

The 3.27-acre IDDeal Place campus will consist of three buildings:

• A main building with six 3-bedroom suites and shared community spaces for meals, leisure, and program activities;
• A second building with three 2-bedroom suites that will accommodate more independent residents and student interns; and
• A single-family home for the campus director.

Earlier this year, the project received unanimous approval from the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners. Plans are underway for the first community members to move in during early 2026.

The PFCF, which is not affiliated with any other organization that uses the Pulte name, will engage public and private businesses and organizations, as well as private foundations and individual donors, to secure the funding needed to complete the entire IDDeal Place project.

The IDDeal Place will be only the eighth private I/DD community in Florida, and the first private I/DD community of this type in Palm Beach County, which has the third most I/DD adults in Florida. Please visit IDDealPlace.org for more details.

For more information, please contact  Jeff Bookstein, vice president of development, jeff@pultefamilyfoundation.org, 561-544-0955.