Migrant-Only Community In Boynton Beach Goes Green

WPBF.com - West Palm Beach News

Developers Construct 20 Green Homes For Migrants, Their Families

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- Griselea Davila moved into her Boynton Beach house with her husband and four children just three months ago.

Davila said she used to live in a trailer home in Lake Worth, where she shared a room with her husband and one child and where her three girls shared a bed in another room.

Now, thanks to federal grants, GL Homes and a non-profit organization, In the Pines is where she calls home.

Griselea Davila says her kids are happy to be living in their new, green house at In the Pines in Boynton Beach.In The Pines is a community exclusive to migrant workers and their families. It took developers nine months to construct the 20 green homes that make up the community.

The homes feature high-impact windows, extra insulation and dual-flush toilets to conserve water.

Project manager Misha Ezratti said it is the "highest level of green building that you can possibly achieve, and only a handful of residential units in the country have actually received this certification.

"Families who live at In the Pines make between $12,000 and $27,000 a year, leaving little room for rent money. But at In the Pines, the highest rent for a four-bedroom home is only $475 a month.

"It feels great as a mom to see your kids (smiling)," Davila said. "They're happy and, I mean, they love being here. They tell me all the time, 'Mommy, we don't want to go from here. I mean, we want to stay here forever.' I'm like, 'Sure.'"