For more than two decades Elinor Sevigny, SNJM, a Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, has served farm workers and low-income families in Okeechobee, Florida, about 140 miles inland from Tampa. Through El Centro Santa Fe, with help from Angela Ospina, RSHM, she has accompanied Hispanic families, most of whom are from Mexico. El Centro Santa Fe helps the families to meet daily needs for food, clothing, emergency assistance, referrals, interpretation, counseling, immigration card renewals, mail, telephone contacts with agencies, and contacts with employers.
Okeechobee Non Profit Housing, Inc. was founded in 1988 to develop a housing ministry for low-income families. In 2001-2002 a rental development of 15 single-family homes, El Mira Sol Gardens, was built to provide affordable, decent, energy-efficient housing. ONPH is owned and operated by a board of directors. Jessie Vasquez is the administrative assistant and project manager for construction.
Before Katrina...
After the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 ONPH accessed funds from state and county hurricane recovery programs to assist 30 first-time homebuyers to construct new homes. As more people move in from the coastal areas to the rural areas, housing is in short supply and prices are escalating. Subsidies are vital for low-income families who want to buy homes.
With continuing support of the SNJMs and RSHMs for more than 20 years, the housing ministry has enabled many immigrant families to get established in the U.S. With stable housing, the families stand a better chance of putting their children through school (including college) so they can obtain better jobs. Hopefully, they will "pay forward" the benefits they have received by accompanying immigrants who still struggle to adjust to life in the United States.
SNJMs in Florida:
adds stability to the lives of low-income residents and farm workers near Lake Okeechobee
