NAPLES AND IMMOKALEE — Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance has received a $25,000 grant from the Moorings Park Foundation. Over the past three years, the Moorings Park Foundation has granted $58,000 to support the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance in carrying out its mission to eliminate substandard and overcrowded rental housing for farmworker families and other low-income residents of Immokalee.

“The Moorings Park Foundation has three avenues of service - to enhance life at Moorings Park for our residents; to positively impact our employees, who are lovingly referred to as our partners; and to serve our local community,” said Dan Lavender, president and CEO, Moorings Park Institute. “Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance’s mission is to create a safe, healthy and affordable housing community for hard-working families and seniors, which fits well with our focus on supporting seniors in need. Moorings Park Foundation is honored to support Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance over the past three years as they provide a sustainable solution to the affordable housing challenges in Immokalee.”

The Alliance is currently building a housing complex of 128 rental units and a community center on 10 acres of property on Lake Trafford Road in Immokalee. As a federally designated 501(c)(3), IFHA has no profit motive and will pay limited real estate taxes. The community will be self-supporting with rents no more than 30% of a family’s income.

“We are so grateful to Moorings Park Foundation for their continued support of our mission to improve the lives of families and older adults in Immokalee with safe, affordable housing,” said Arol Buntzman, chair of the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance. “We look forward to opening our doors soon and welcoming qualifying seniors to the community and supporting them with other ancillary services including enhanced access to healthcare.”

The first of eight rental buildings planned for the project is scheduled to be completed by end of 2023.

About the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance

The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) created in 2018 by a group of concerned citizens who saw the damage done by Hurricane Irma to already substandard trailers and shacks rented by farmworker and other low-income families in Immokalee. The IFHA vision is for these families to have access to secure, affordable, hurricane-resistant rental housing, which will strengthen the community by fostering health, education, dignity and financial stability. The organization has embarked on a project to create community awareness and raise funds for a 128-rental unit complex in Immokalee. For more information, please visit ImmokaleeFairHousing.org.