Construction begins at Habitat for Humanity Kaicasa subdivision in Collier County

One of the largest affordable communities built by Habitat for Humanity is in Southwest Florida.

After many years in development, construction at the long-anticipated Habitat Collier subdivision of Kaicasa is officially underway.

The neighborhood had its first wall-raising. The home will soon be occupied by a family.

Volunteers, staff and people from the community came together to celebrate a new neighborhood. offering much-needed affordable homeownership options.

The neighborhood will boast 281 homes, said Lisa Lefkow, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.

“It took me a few years to get to where I needed to be,” said Guadalupe Maldonado, a future homeowner.

Maldonado, a single father of three, will be the first family to move in.

“In the beginning, it was, my credit wasn’t good enough,” he said. “Took a few years, worked on that. Then it was, I didn’t have enough down payment. Saved up enough down payment only to get kicked back and say, you got this, you got this, now you don’t have the annual income to afford a home yet.”

Immokalee is his home.

He said he went to Habitat for Humanity to try to find an affordable option.

His son, Isaac, said it’s a blessing.

“I’m grateful,” Isaac said.

And in terms of how long it will take to complete the neighborhood?

“People are going to be coming in and asking if they can be a part of our process and our program. So, we’ll start that qualifying process with each one,” Lefkow said.

This is Habitat’s largest subdivision to date. They’re still looking for people to apply. You can do so online.

For more information on the Kaicasa community, visit the link.