Immokalee Affordable Housing project receives $1M pledge

Posted 2/9/22

The NoVo Foundation, founded in 2010 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, has made a pledge of $1 million in support of...

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Immokalee Affordable Housing project receives $1M pledge

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IMMOKALEE — The NoVo Foundation, founded in 2010 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, has made a pledge of $1 million in support of the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance’s project to build affordable housing in Immokalee. The mission of the Foundation is to foster a transformation in global society from a culture of domination and exploitation to one of equality and partnership. It supports the development of capacities in people –- individually and collectively -– to help create a caring and balanced world that operates on the principles of mutual respect, collaboration and civic participation.

In a joint statement, Peter Buffett and IFHA Chairman Dr. Arol Buntzman said that the lack of safe, affordable housing is a primary factor in perpetuating the cycle of poverty in Immokalee.

“We are extremely grateful to the NoVo Foundation for their gift,” said Buntzman. “We hope that their generosity will inspire others to help us meet our goal of building secure, affordable, hurricane-resistant rental housing, strengthening the community by fostering health, education, dignity and financial stability.”

Farmworkers and other low-income families in Immokalee are currently living in overcrowded and dilapidated shacks and trailers, with holes in the floor and walls, persistent mold, non-working toilets or appliances and a lack of air conditioning. These families are subject to paying 50% or more of their income in rent, leaving little for food, medical services, childcare and other services most would consider necessities.

Buffett stated that the Foundation was impressed with the background and expertise of the IFHA principals and the progress that has been made to date.

“The plan to have residents participate in management decisions regarding the property fits well with the NoVo Foundation mission,” he said.

The Alliance has purchased 10 acres of property on Lake Trafford Road in Immokalee, designed a complex of 128 rental units and a community center, obtained approvals and permits and broken ground. As a 501(c)(3), IFHA has no profit motive and will pay limited real estate taxes, so the community will be self-supporting with rents will be no more than 30% of a family’s income.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in early 2023. Upon completion, the full project will include a community center and athletic fields.

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 farmworkers 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.

IFHA, NoVo Foundation, pledge, housing, affordable

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