It Takes A Village Building Iniaitive:

A Housing Growth Movement That Changes Lives

Welcome to “It Takes a Village Building Initiative-A Housing Growth Movement that Transforms Lives” & THE PATH PROGRAM.

Pepine Gives exists to “Take People from Surviving to Thriving“.  We believe that providing secure housing is a basic human right that can transform lives.  Therefore, we strive to create opportunities for people in Central & North Florida to build thriving “Communities of HOPE”, which include a multitude of housing initiatives, programs, and community support services.  Through our diverse and holistic strategies, we are moving toward that goal.

Our History & Proof of Process

Pepine Gives and Community Impact
Pepine Gives is a community development nonprofit that has been serving North Central Florida since 2018.  Building 3 houses with Alachua Habitat for Humanity in the last 3 years, Pepine Gives decided that it is time to do more than just build houses.  While housing is our niche (Founder Betsy Pepine of Pepine Realty, Pepine Property Management, and Pepine Real-Estate School), we knew that our heart was to help more people, who are housing insecure, build homes and a lifestyle that would be sustainable and generationally impactful.  

Valuing our community partnerships with those committed to building houses, we decided to increase our Pepine Homes, sponsoring/building homes for an increase of 2 households in new homes per year, and designing programs that would holistically support our homeowners.

Description of the Program

THE PATH PROGRAM, Prosperity Attainable through Healthy Housing through removing barriers for ALICE Households in North Central Florida.

A holistic housing program for ALICE households in North Central Florida that is designed to engage the community in removing common barriers that struggling households encounter. 

We are making a difference in Central North Florida.  Under our “It Takes a Village Building Initiative, one of our projects will permanently transform the lives of households in Central & North Florida, that are on the verge of homelessness.  This is called the PATH PROGRAM. It is the first project in our series of “Taking People from Surviving to Thriving”.

In 2025, we created THE PATH PROGRAM to build 2 homes each year, for ten years, in our “It Takes a Village Building Initiative”.  With growing support from our community partners, and our future partners we decided to launch.

The time is right and with the strong allies in the form of other entities that are focused on ALICE households (The United Way’s movement on UNITEDFORALICE) and the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s 2030 Blueprint (Pathways to Prosperity, Improving Florida’s Talent Pipeline for a Better Workforce, Cut Florida childhood poverty in half and 100% have a pathway out and AFFORDABILITY OF HOUSING). We want to do our part and through the THE PATH PROGRAM, to impact more people in our communities each year, who need these services to build their future platforms of prosperity.  Through our communities coming together, we will be instrumental in our aid to our ALICE neighbors.

Through our programs, we provide “HEALTHY HOUSING” with holistic services, with the end goal of moving people into housing that is safe, secure, and full of community opportunities. Using equity-focused alternatives in our housing projects, we foster education and business opportunities and build entrepreneurship in traditionally under-resourced community groups.  We believe that the benefits of attainable healthy housing will provide economic growth through:

1. Improved Quality of Life-Attainable housing and economic opportunities can lead to a higher quality of life for residents, including better health, education, and social outcomes.
2. Reduced Homelessness- Addressing the housing shortage can help reduce homelessness and other housing insecurity issues.
3. A Stronger Economy– A stable and growing economy can attract and retain businesses and workers, leading to further economic growth.

We build empowered communities, where every person can thrive.  We believe that affordable, stable housing is the cornerstone of vibrant communities, and we’re on a mission to deliver just that across North Central Florida.  Through innovative housing solutions and deep partnerships with local businesses, we provide not just homes — but hope, opportunity, and a foundation for a better future. We are committed to providing holistic housing services to those in need.

Your participation fuels our vision to:

• Deliver affordable homeownership opportunities in underserved areas
• Creating inclusive, equitable communities
• Provide holistic services that nurture well-being
• Support economic mobility and entrepreneurship
• Change lives — one home at a time

It “Takes a Village” to create permanent change.  Through your partnership, you become part of something bigger — a village of changemakers working to transform lives, neighborhoods, and futures, joining us in building a better tomorrow. Because when we come together, we don’t just build homes — we BUILD HOPE.

THE PATH PROGRAM is one of our most crucial programs, making a significant impact on the people most in need.  We are taking people to be on a PATH to PROSPERITY through HOMEOWNERSHIP, thus initiating generational change.  We believe that it will “Take a Village”, for all of us to come together, to make systemic changes in our lives.

We believe that THE PATH PROGRAM will build people’s prosperity and help them succeed in both attaining and maintaining HEALTHY HOUSING.  Through our project and other programs, generational prosperity for these households will be attainable.

Purpose of the Program

To build a more just society by removing common barriers for ALICE households In North Central Florida.

Impact/Who Will Benefit

ALICE households & Housing Insecure Households

Goals & Objectives

THE PATH PROGRAM is focused on 2 Main Areas: 

1. HOME SPONSORSHIP/BUILD – Pepine Gives will sponsor/build a house for a family, Veteran, Senior, or individual in need with a community partner in the area.  
   • • Pepine Gives has built/sponsored 3 homes in Alachua County with Alachua Habitat for Humanity.
     • Pepine Gives holds 2 charity events/year to fund the Build/Sponsorship of the Pepine Home of HOPE.
     • Greater Gainesville Pickleball OPEN
     • Annual Golf Scramble
2. THE PEPINE NEW START PROGRAM for housing insecure households– Pepine Gives will turn houses into Homes of HOPE for our Pepine homeowners. Furnishings, landscaping, utility stipends, utility energy saving upgrades in appliances, downpayments for mortgage or rental deposits, educational scholarships for teens at home, eSchool, regular counseling, and peer support groups available.  
   • • We believe in education, job skill training, college stipends, a year-long student institute that focuses on empowering local youth in at-risk settings to have successful careers and become lifelong community advocates, global citizens, and agents of change, support network, social events, emergency financial assistance, resume writing services, health & wellness, and trade school assistance.
     •  This program enables working families & individuals to get on and stay on a PATH to financial health. 
     • Furnishings, landscaping, 
     • Utility stipends & utility energy saving upgrades in appliances
     • Downpayments for mortgage or rental deposits
     • Educational scholarships for the Tensley teens at home
     •  eSchool for Tensley resident
     • Counseling and peer support groups 
     • Education, job training, college stipends
     • A year-long student institute that focuses on empowering local youth in at-risk settings to have successful careers and become lifelong community advocates, global citizens, and agents of change. 
     • Support network, social events
     • Emergency financial assistance
     • Resume writing services
     • Health & wellness, 
     • Trade school assistance will be provided to this family.

ALICE

Pepine Gives has a focus on households that are in unaffordable housing situations, with housing insecurity, often experiencing what is known as “hidden homelessness”.  These households are designated as ALICE. “ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents the growing number of families who are unable to afford the basics of housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and technology. 

These workers often struggle to keep their own households from financial ruin while keeping our local communities running. With income above the Federal Poverty Level, ALICE households often earn too much to qualify for public assistance but are still unable to cover basic household expenses. The ALICE Income Status Tool calculates these expenses: housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and technology, plus taxes, and a contingency fund (miscellaneous) equal to 10% of the budget.” (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)

ALICE households are in danger of being homeless and include Veterans, seniors, families with children, and singles.  ALICE indicators include those households that pay over 30% of their AMI (Area Median Income) to rent or mortgage, making them burdened with housing costs that often do not include electricity, gas, water/sewer & trash removal services, making it difficult to afford food, transportation, medical care, education, telephone, internet, emergency funds and savings. As income inequality grows for these households, negative societal impacts, including a sense of community, social support, health, and educational attainment, all suffer.

1. Those in ALICE households suffer food insecurity, which is defined by the Department of Agriculture as, “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.”
   1. Households that experience food insecurity additionally experience higher levels of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, mental health issues, depression, and childhood developmental problems.  
   2. Childhood hunger is often first seen in ALICE
2. ALICE households often have higher commute times to work, decreasing the time spent on physical activity, parenting or other needed daily activities.  
3. “Older adults, who live alone and are experiencing ALICE, often experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, which in turn are associated with poor health outcomes, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of mortality.” (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
4. It is estimated that a higher number of ALICE households are renters, who often are in unsafe housing situations, experience higher energy bills, live where there are higher crime rates, and have a higher dependence on government programs.  
5. It has been stated that, “In 2023, reports show that of the 20 most common occupations in Florida, 13 paid less than $20 per hour and of all workers in the top 20 occupations, 36% lived in households below the ALICE Threshold.” (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
6. In Florida, of the 8,944,469 households in 2023, 13% earned below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and 34% were ALICE — households that earned above the FPL, but not enough to afford the ALICE Household Survival Budget for their household composition and location. Combining these two groups, 47% of households in Florida were below the ALICE Threshold.” (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
7. “There are households below the ALICE Threshold across all demographic groups in Florida. However, certain groups are disproportionately represented due to systemic racism, ageism, gender discrimination, and geographic barriers that limit many families’ access to resources and opportunities for financial stability.”(https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
8. In Alachua County, 47% are below the ALICE threshold, indicating 34,206 ALICE households in 2023. (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
9. In Marion County, 50% are below the ALICE threshold. (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
10. In Columbia County, 52% are below the ALICE threshold. (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)
11. Of the 3,033,439 ALICE households in Florida in 2023, 1,129,685 are below the ALICE threshold.  (https://www.unitedwayncfl.org/news/2025-state-alice.)

We believe in the revitalization and renewal of neighborhoods, and we strive to have an impact by investing in community development.  We seek to create vibrant communities believing that vibrant communities include safe and affordable housing, no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender and racial equality, decent work, and economic growth opportunities. We choose to engage the environment, believing that through environmental engagement, education, and promoting healthy ecosystems, we support healthy, holistic housing communities. 

Will you join us in our quest?  Please visit www.pepinegives.com to see our detailed 2025 Strategic Initiatives!

“Home is a shelter from storms-all sorts of storms.”