For many working families in essential roles in Immokalee, the cost of housing is crushing. Families who help feed, build, clean, landscape, care for others, and serve the region are often forced to spend more than 75% of their monthly income on rent—leaving far too little for food, transportation, health care, child care, clothing, or savings.

And yet, what they receive in return is too often overcrowded, aging, and unsafe. Some families pay as much as $2,500 a month for less than 1,000 square feet, sometimes sharing that space with other families, coworkers, or even strangers. These homes rarely offer the privacy, safety, or dignity a family deserves.

This is not simply a matter of high rent. It is the high cost of having no real choice. A gift to Monarca will help create safe, stable, affordable homes where hardworking families can finally begin to move forward.