St. Mark’s Helps Those Desperately in Need of Affordable Home

For more than 20 years, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County with parishioners pounding, painting, caulking, raising walls and money to help provide access to quality built, safe and affordable homeownership for hard-working members of our local workforce. So many who work on Marco Island struggle to find an affordable place to live.

Rev. Dr. Jessica Babcock, Rector of St. Mark’s said of the church’s partnership with Habitat Collier “A Habitat home becomes the foundation of security for generations. Once you are out of substandard housing and you find yourself in a good, stable home, you don’t give that up. Working with Habitat Collier, St. Mark’s parishioners have given grateful families the opportunity to change lives for generations to come.” 

This dire situation of living in untenable conditions is about to change for Eddie, Maria and their two children. They completed Habitat Collier’s rigorous application process, were approved to purchase a home of their own and are completing their sweat equity hours building their home and the homes of future neighbors while they complete classes to help them be successful homeowners. 

Today Eddie and his family of four live in a home with seven others. The family pays $1,000 in rent for two bedrooms and shares the other living spaces, a situation that is all too common for Habitat applicants. Soon they will purchase and move into their forever home with a no interest mortgage in Habitat Collier’s community of Whitaker Woods. They will have the privacy, security and stability that come with homeownership. 

Eddie has worked at The Hilton Marco Island Resort and Spa for many years. To make ends meet, he works a second job at The Little Bar where Maria has worked for 16 years. The parents have instilled in their children a strong work ethic and the importance of a good education. Their son just graduated from Lorenzo Walker Technical College. He loves solving automotive problems. His younger sister is a good student who is considering going into the medical field. 

Guadalupe and Christopher decided to apply for a Habitat home last November after the arrival of their young daughter Iris. Over the past three years, their rent for a 700 square foot apartment increased from $1,600 to $1,700 and up to $1,900 per month. Rent was projected to increase to $2,200 per month in 2024, a number Guadalupe and Christopher knew they could not afford. They moved in with Guadalupe’s parents where other family members were also living. They turned to Habitat Collier as their only option for an affordable, safe home of their own where they could provide their baby with the life she deserves. 

Christopher has been a security officer at JW Marriott Marco Island for five years making a decent salary. Even so, rents are out of reach. Guadalupe is staying home with Iris for now but plans to return to work when she is a little older. Guadalupe graduated in 2021 from Johnson & Wales University in Miami with a degree in Hospitality so she anticipates no difficulties finding a job when the time is right. 

With the tremendous need for affordable housing, Habitat Collier has two communities under construction in Naples. Eddie and Maria and Christopher and Guadalupe will purchase their homes in the community of Whitaker Woods. When completed in 2024, 125 grateful families will call this home. This location, between Santa Barbara Blvd. and County Barn Rd., is convenient for Marco Island workers and provides good schools for children. Another community, Songbird, is Habitat Collier’s first condominium community with one home above the other. This will provide affordable homeownership for 52 families and is also scheduled to be completed in 2024. 

We need YOUR help. Please join us for a Habitat build day on February 21, 2024, at Whitaker Woods. No experience is necessary. Just come with a willing heart. Within both the St. Mark’s and the Habitat Collier mission and ministry there is a place for everyone to share their time, talents, and treasures. The volunteer group will meet at Whitaker Woods, 203 Opportunity Circle, Naples, FL 34112, at 7:45 a.m. and wrap up by 12:00 p.m. with a snack break at 10 a.m. Please sign up at this link if you are interested. https://www.habitatcollier.org/volunteer/.

If you are not able to volunteer but wish to make a donation or learn more, please visit www.habitatcollier.org.

St. Mark’s and Habitat Collier stand as beacons of hope to those facing the daunting challenge of securing affordable, safe, and decent housing for their families. Your partnership with St. Mark’s and Habitat Collier is an investment in a brighter, more equitable future for members of our community. We can provide a lifeline for those struggling with unsafe, untenable living conditions, parents whose dream is to give their children the security and stability of a safe home. As Rev. Jessica Babcock and Rev Kathy Schillreff remind us “Put love into action and you can make dreams come true.”