Affordable Housing

Affordable housing solution comes to North Fort Myers; Habitat for Humanity celebrates land dedication for its newest neighborhood for 36 affordable homes

Habitat for Humanity welcomed its first Heritage Heights resident on Friday morning after teaming up with FineMark National Bank & Trust.

The future of rental housing was one of the panel discussions at the 2022 Real Estate Symposium. Karen Moore, publisher of SWFL Business Today, shared what Danville Leadbetter of Soltura Development Group had to offer.

A group of industry leaders are asking local officials to provide work-force housing

Anyone who lives in southwest Florida is definitely aware of the rapid rise in housing costs — especially rentals — in recent years. It’s estimated that 40% of households in Collier County struggle with housing costs, and availability of affordable housing for essential workers and seniors in Collier is reaching crisis levels. More than 40,000 workers commute daily from outside Collier County because they can’t afford to live near their jobs.

Anyone who lives in southwest Florida is definitely aware of the rapid rise in housing costs — especially rentals — in recent years. It’s estimated that 40% of households in Collier County struggle with housing costs, and availability of affordable housing for essential workers and seniors in Collier is reaching crisis levels. More than 40,000 workers commute daily from outside Collier County because they can’t afford to live near their jobs.

Lee County Commissioners Tuesday approved a $500,000 interest-free loan to help an affordable housing project in North Fort Myers. The Hermosa community could provide 72 multi-family units for low-income seniors.

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry counties is known for working to provide affordable housing for cost-burdened families of Southwest Florida. One of the current focuses for the local organization is Partnership Place.

A shuttered Tex-Mex, Spanish and American food store and rows of run-down trailers sit across the street from a construction site in Immokalee. This site at the corner of Lake Trafford Road and North 19th Street is the future home of the Immokalee Affordable Housing Project, started by the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance.The alliance formed after Hurricane Irma in 2017 when several disaster relief organizations, faith-based organizations, non-profits and caring people came together to provide disaster assistance.

Port Charlotte used to be one of the more affordable gulf-facing communities in Southwest Florida, but these days the area is facing a shortage of affordable housing that is pushing people out.