Habitat for Humanity helps combat lack of affordable housing in Collier

Construction crews are working to help families build their dream homes in Collier County.

Habitat For Humanity of Collier County, a nonprofit housing organization, is helping Shawana Perry become a first time homeowner in Naples — where she has lived for 38 years.

“You have paycheck to paycheck, sometimes two paychecks to pay the rent, so basically it’s like really expensive here,” Perry said.

Perry, a mother of four, is one of four families in the City of Naples putting in sweat equity to own a Habitat home.

“So many working people like this family, they have two jobs, they’re well deserving they work hard and we have many people like that in the City of Naples in this neighborhood [Riverwalk Community],” city manager Bill Moss said.

2,000 people live in Habitat for Humanity homes in Collier County where the mortgages are interest free. 400 of those 2,000 homeowners have already paid their homes off.