IFHA Supporter Relates Firsthand to Housing Crisis

While knowing the plight of the farmworkers and low-income residents of Immokalee in being able to find affordable housing can lend one to sympathy, few of us can be empathetic to the issue. For Sara Werder, she knows firsthand the importance of affordable housing, where rent is based on the family’s income. Sara grew up in a military home. Her father served in the Air Force as a mechanic in Vietnam. When her parents got divorced, her family moved into public housing that she called home for ten years.

“Since we lived in subsidized housing, we were fortunate to have enough money left over for food, clothing and a used car,” Sara recalls. She worked different jobs during the summer, but during the school year, she studied and did as many extracurricular activities as she could. A scholarship made it possible for her to attend college and eventually earn a law degree.

Today, Sara and her husband Rick avidly support IFHA because the mission resonates so much with Sara.

“It is heartbreaking to hear about the lack of affordable housing available compared to the number of people who need it,” she says. “My husband Rick and I were so inspired when we learned about IFHA’s ambitious plans to build apartments in Immokalee. Our foundation made a grant to IFHA in 2022 and again this year. It has been so exciting to watch the apartments being built!”

Thank you, Sara and Rick, for supporting IFHA and sharing our dream of breaking the cycle of poverty.