Housing

Substandard housing is prevalent in Immokalee and parts of Hendry County.  A 2004 study by Collier County identified 25 percent of Immokalee’s housing units as either substandard or severely substandard.  To help address this problem, the Empowerment Alliance continues to focus on the homeownership and foreclosure prevention counseling described elsewhere on the site, as well as construction of safe, new affordable housing units.  The following has more information about our current construction projects. 

Esperanza Place

In 2007, the Empowerment Alliance partnered with a local non-profit organization to purchase 30 acres of land in Immokalee for affordable housing. On 14 of those acres, the Empowerment Alliance will construct a 60-unit, single-family  subdivision called Esperanza Place. Infrastructure for Phase 1 of the project has been completed. 

The remaining 16 acres will be used by the other nonprofit organization for an affordable, multi-family rental development. This is a unique project in that two non-profit organizations are collaborating to share costs on engineering and infrastructure.

Hatchers Preserve

This project will be the future site of 18 single-family homes sold to low-income families.  Infrastructure for the project was completed in 2009 and construction of units will begin in 2010.  The subdivision features a half-acre open space preserve at the back of the site.

Green Housing in Clewiston

The Empowerment Alliance started its efforts to build energy efficient homes with the first unit it constructed in Clewiston.  The home is built of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) which are hollow styrofoam blocks.  The blocks are stacked on top of each other and the center filled with concrete to create a structure that is well insulated due to the styrofoam and incredibly strong from the concrete running from floor to ceiling. 

The first unit built in Clewiston (shown at right) offers a number of other energy efficient features such as Energy Star appliances and light fixtures, extra insulation, and impact resistant windows that enabled it to earn the Energy Star Tax Credit from EPA.  The Empowerment Alliance included these energy features since electric bills in the community often run $300 to $500 per month.  Due to the added features in this house, the monthly electric bill should be under $90.  The reduced costs help ensure the long-term affordability of the unit for the families who buy them.