The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers has received nearly $37 million in funding from Lee County through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund. The $36,530,877 in funds will support two of the HACFM’s affordable housing projects: Phase II of Southward Village and Lafayette Square.

Lee County awarded a total of $18,875,000 to support HACFM’s efforts to complete Phase II of revitalization at the existing Southward Village community in Dunbar. The project is part of the Greater Dunbar Initiative, which will ultimately create at least 465 mixed-income units across Southward Village and an additional site on Cleveland Avenue. Phase II of the project will include efforts to construct 151 units of 375 total residential units at the Southward Village site. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2025.

Lafayette Square will provide modernized senior housing options to replace Royal Palm Towers, a 60-year-old infrastructure in downtown Fort Myers that sustained significant damage during Hurricane Ian. The new housing site will be located off Lafayette Street in Fort Myers, and construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2025.