Affordable Housing

A Miami company has gotten the OK to access money to build affordable housing in Lee County.Lee Commissioners Tuesday approved a deal that uses post-Ian recovery money for mortgage revenue bonds.

Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo handed over the reins of the Senate to Wauchula Republican Ben Albritton after the November elections.But Passidomo, who is now chairwoman of the Rules Committee, has some unfinished business to resolve during her two remaining years in the Senate.

Lee County is granting $89 million for affordable housing. The money comes from the federal government, part of the $1.1 billion coming to Lee to help recovery from Hurricane Ian.

FEMA has announced an extension in its housing program from Hurricane Ian.

The housing gap between communities in Collier County is striking. In Immokalee, almost 40% of homes are owner-occupied, while in nearby Naples, that number is over 80%. This disparity is driving up rental costs in Immokalee, forcing many families into overcrowded living conditions. A local nonprofit has stepped up to build an affordable housing complex, hoping to offer relief to those who need it most.

The White Coral homeownership project in Fort Myers will provide 26 single family homes.

A plan to build housing as a way to attract faculty and staff to the university was part of FGCU's Board of Trustees meeting this week. The project is just in the informational stages but could lead to a number of units being built to the south of Gulf Coast Town Center, about two miles from the FGCU campus.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to launch Affordable Housing Development New Construction Programs with the publication of the Notice of Funding Availability for up to $200 million from Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds.Lee County’s CDBG-DR Action Plan includes Affordable Housing and Development Programs that provide grant funding for the development and preservation of affordable housing units.

A staggering 64 percent of Collier County public school employees who took part in a survey say they fear they will have to leave their jobs because of lack of affordable housing.

The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance has opened applications to live in a new affordable apartment building in Immokalee.The application window runs through March 7. Applications are available for pickup and submission at the B-Hive Flower Shop in Immokalee.