AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Goal:

To Provide Safe, Affordable Housing to all EC Residents.

Current Conditions:

• According to the 1994 Housing Study there are 1200 housing units in Immokalee in need of rehabilitation.
• The average household size in the Enterprise Community is 3.79 persons compared to 2.46 persons for the State of Florida as a whole
• Approximatley 36% of the households within the Enterprise Community are headed by single-parents
   

Objectives: 

• Ensure land is available at or below market rate to build affordable housing
• Improve the condition of owner-occupied homes through rehabilitation
• Eliminate substandard housing
  

Single Family Development

Groundbreaking Ceremony at Milagro Place, January 12, 2005.

The Empowerment Alliance is building a 26 single-family home subdivision known as Milagro Place. The Empowerment Alliance has recieved more than $1.9 million in state and federal grants for this project to purchase land, install infrastructure, and build 26 homes for the very low-income households. Construction of the first homes is expected to start in February 2005.

Dormitory Housing

A 192-bed dormitory for seasonal farmworkers is scheduled to open in 2004. This national prototype has secured approximately $4.5 million in funding from federal, state, and county sources to complete the project. The Empowerment Alliance provided $75,000 in gap financing and prepared four grant applications to help secure the needed funding.

Homebuyer Counseling

The Empowerment Alliance contracted with the Collier County Extension Service to provide homebuyer counseling in Immokalee. Two part-time counselors work one-on-one with individuals and families to restore credit ratings, develop budgets and prepare them for homeownership. In 2004, more than 1,000 people have recieved one-on-one counseling.

In partnership with the USDA Housing Preservation Program, the Empowerment Alliance of Southwest Florida, Collier County SHIP, Hendry County SHIP, applications are now being accepted for a Housing Rehabilitation Program in Immokalee and Eastern Hendry County.  Funding is limited to repairs that will correct health and safety hazards (code violations) in the home.   For repairs not eligible under this program, low interest loans are available through the USDA Rural Development . 

For more information on any of these programs, contact Housing Coordinator, Ana Salazar, at 239/658-3318 or ana_salazar@earthlink.net.