Rev. Mike Butler led a prayer before the ribbon was cut and the doors swung open for a new affordable housing complex in one of Collier County's most economically disadvantaged areas — Immokalee.
"As we gather to celebrate this milestone ... we thank you for all those you've called to the vision of providing safe, affordable housing here in Immokalee," Butler said.
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Each family member will have a quilt for their bed. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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A basket of items donated to the families will be given to them on move-in day. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Carlos holds his youngest child as his wife, Maria comforts him as he talks about how thankful he is for his family to have the opportunity to be the first to move in. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Carlos and his wife, Maria talk about how thankful they are to have the opportunity to be one of the first families to move in. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Arol Buntzman, chairman of Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, spoke during the celebration. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Arol Buntzman, chairman of Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, spoke during the celebration. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Carlos holds his youngest child as his wife, Maria talks about how thankful she is for her family to have the opportunity to be the first to move in. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Rubianna helps her father, Carlos cut the ribbon. Carlos and Maria and their four children will be one of the first families to move into one of the apartments. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— ImmokaleeFairHousingWGCU0826AM
Rubianna high-fives her father, Carlos after they cut the ribbon. Carlos and Maria and their four children will be one of the first families to move into one of the apartments. Families, supporters and visionaries cut the ribbon during the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration. On Friday, Aug. 23, The event showcased the first of eight buildings at the nonprofit’s new affordable apartment community in Immokalee. Located at the northwest corner of Lake Trafford Road and N. 19th St. in Immokalee, once complete, the new community will feature 128 units built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, along with a community center for meetings, after-school programs, health care assistance and more. Plans also call for an on-site soccer field and additional amenities.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
More than 150 people gathered at the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Move-in Celebration to witness the long-awaited housing development's inauguration. Among them was Maria Paiz, a wife and mother of four, who shared her journey to securing a new home.
"I actually got a call from the person that did the applications, and when she told me, I was just in disbelief. Before, we had tried to buy a house three separate times," Paiz said. "But this grand-opening day is something big for us because for the last 6 1/2 years, we've been at my parents' house. Now, having our own place means a lot."
While some of her children explored their new home, testing light switches and checking out kitchen appliances, her daughter marveled at the size of the closets: "At our place, we had to share one closet, and it’s basically crowded and full. This one is spacious—I only have to share it with my little sister.”
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
In the living room, Paiz's husband Carlos stood quietly, holding his youngest son. He shared how the milestone filled him with hope for the next generation.
"I never had a father that raised me, and it just shows my kids that I will never give up on them," he said. "It's me showing them that I can do it. Yeah, I might need some help, but I just keep going forward.”
Arol Buntzman, CEO of the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, reflected on the project's origins six years ago: "Everybody recognized that there was a shortage of safe, affordable housing in Immokalee. There had been for decades, and Hurricane Irma made the situation that much worse.”
Out of more than 200 applicants, 16 families with 44 children will be moving in during this round.
Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance Celebrates New Affordable Housing With Ribbon Cutting
"The team that worked on it prioritized working families and children that live in the worst conditions, paying the highest rents," Buntzman said.
He added that this complex is the first of eight resilient apartment buildings designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.
The project has already raised more than $10 million and will continue to fundraise as more developments arise.
"Next month, the second building will start. We've already raised the funds and have the pledges for the third building," Buntzman said, pointing out the window to the site of a future playground. "If they haven't already delivered the equipment, they'll be delivering it this coming week. So by the time the families move in, there's a safe place for the children to play."
As families like the Paizes prepare to move in, they see the new development representing a foundation for hope, stability, and a brighter future for the Immokalee community.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez contributed to this report.