The 2000’s

Immokalee. Ruskin. Dover. Fort Pierce. Okeechobee. Homestead. Labelle. Winter Haven. In our third decade, Rural Neighborhoods built remarkable new communities in rural towns and places across Florida. We added tools like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, HUD Supportive Housing for the Elderly and housing for the homeless to our repertoire. Neighborhoods once suffering from neglect changed. Hard working families who call our neighborhoods home no longer return at the end of the day to dwellings falling to pieces. Instead, home today is a livable community – one replete with quality affordable living, green space and aesthetic design, access to services and community engagement.

Our history shows we change over time to take advantage of new opportunities. In 2005, our organization changed its name to reflect our growing mission and we established Rural Neighborhoods as our parent corporation.

From our original mission to rescue a single labor camp, our calling has grown to include real estate development, asset and property management, community-building, resident services and disaster response. Our efforts help underserved communities, support rural economies and enable people to become self-sufficient and successful. Today, Rural Neighborhoods owns nearly 1,600 rental units and 50,000 square feet of commercial space, provides work for more than 40 talented staff and has served 100,000 individuals since its inception.

Rural Neighborhoods’ communities earn high marks, not only from satisfied residents, but from the housing sector as well. Such recognition includes our listing in 2011’s Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers by Affordable Housing Magazine and receipt of prestigious national awards like the Maxwell Award of Excellence from the Fannie Mae Foundation, Skip Jason Community Service Award from the Housing Assistance Council and the Littleford Award for Community Service from the editors of American Business Media. The United Stated Department of Agriculture twice awarded our accomplishments as National Multifamily Housing Manager of the Year. Feature articles in magazines such as Builder, Planning, Affordable Housing Finance and Design, Develop & Construct continue to highlight our efforts to revitalize local communities.