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September, 2014 - In This Issue
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, an important partner of Self-Help Enterprises, presented a donation of $24,000 to SHE. The donation will support our homeownership counseling and education program, which prepares prospective homebuyers to become responsible and sustainable homeowners through comprehensive in-person and online classes. 
 
SHE IS HIRING

Self-Help Enterprises offers an exciting work environment where you can bring your high caliber skills to a true career opportunity and impact the world around you.


We have
an opening for a Manager for New Homes Construction, responsible for all onsite construction activities, estimating, purchasing, planning, and permitting for the self-help housing program at Self-Help Enterprises. Learn more here.   

PRESERVING AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING

Self-Help Enterprises recently completed rehabilitating the 35 unit Nueva Sierra Vista apartment rental community in Richgrove.

Improving the energy efficiency and routine maintenance of existing rental housing is essential to preserving affordable rental housing. At Nueva Sierra Vista, we: 

  • Replaced roofs with energy efficient roofing material and enhanced insulation
  • Replaced all windows and HVAC systems to high energy efficient standards
  • Repainted the exterior
  • Replaced all handicap ramps and handrails
  • Re-sealed and re-striped the asphalt parking lot
In addition, all the handicap accessible apartments were upgraded with new kitchen and bathroom cabinets, counters, appliances, and flooring. The layout of the bathroom in some units was also changed to create more space and efficiency.

By creating affordable, high-quality housing, Self-Help Enterprises helps stabilize local communities and provides a safe and healthy environment for residents to thrive.
WATER-SAVING INITIATIVE

Home Depot donated conservation kits featuring a range of water-saving fixtures to help communities affected by the drought conserve water at home. The water conservation kits include a five gallon bucket, two bathroom aerators, one kitchen aerator, a low flow showerhead, an auto shutoff hose nozzle, and tablets to detect a toilet leak.

 

   

 

The State of California and Home Depot held kickoff events at Home Depot stores in Fresno on September 7 and in Porterville on September 8 where about 5,000 water conservation kits were assembled by Home Depot and State employees, the California Conservation Corps, nonprofit organizations including Self-Help Enterprises, and members from affected communities for distribution to rural community water systems in Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Kings and Stanislaus counties.  
Disadvantaged communities in the San Joaquin Valley may contact us at (559) 802-1682 to be added to a list for a future distribution of water conservation kits.

 

Visit this link to view more photos from the kickoff event in Porterville. For more information about water conservation, visit Save Our Water

BANK OF THE SIERRA DONATES $50,000 TO DROUGHT RELIEF EFFORTS

Thousands of residents across the Central Valley have survived months without water to drink, cook, clean, shower or run a swamp cooler during the sweltering summer.

In a special effort to assist local families affected by California's water crisis, Bank of the Sierra presented the largest Sierra Grant donation in the bank's history to Self-Help Enterprises in the amount of $50,000.      

     

The donation will assist Self-Help Enterprises to provide immediate, interim assistance to residents and communities affected by the drought, while working toward long-term solutions. These activities include:

  • providing low-interest loans to drill new or deepen existing private wells; 
  • securing emergency funding for delivery of bottled drinking water;
  • securing funding to drill deeper wells for rural community water systems;
  • securing funding to connect drought stricken areas to nearby community water systems; and
  • installing a water storage tank and small pump that connects water to a home's indoor plumbing.
We are very grateful to Bank of the Sierra for this generous donation. As a community and with the support of local businesses, we can come together to help Valley residents in our own backyard who are facing extreme water challenges and are in desperate need of emergency relief during this persistent drought. If you would like to join in support of local families in need, please visit our donation page.
Top: Paul Boyer, SHE Community Development Program Director, demonstrates the interim storage tank solution.

Bottom: Bank of the Sierra presents $50,000 to SHE. Pictured from left to right are Self Help Enterprises - Tom Collishaw, CEO; Paul Boyer, Community Development Program Director; Bank of the Sierra - Kevin McPhaill, President & Chief Banking Officer; Art Zschau, SVP, Area Manager Exeter/Farmersville Region; Matthew Hessler, SVP, Director of Marketing.

FAMILIES WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THEIR HOMES 

Participants in Self-Help Enterprises' new homes program have started to build their own single-family homes in Tulare. With skilled onsite supervision from Self-Help Enterprises' construction staff, the 10 families will work together on the construction of their own homes for the next 10 months.

Through this program, the family's labor, or "sweat equity", acts as the down payment for the home allowing families who never thought it possible to realize the dream of becoming homeowners. Together, families will string and chalk the layout of the homes (pictured below), pour foundations, frame homes, install electrical wiring, hang doors and windows, lay tile and paint.

We are currently recruiting families to build their own homes in Arvin (Tulare County), Gustine (Merced County), and Tulare (Tulare County). Learn more about the program here.

Self-Help Enterprises' emphasis on sustainable homeownership, combining counseling and education, an affordable mortgage, and the "sweat equity" down payment, has resulted in successful homeownership for thousands of Valley families.
We are honored to be the recipient
of the 2014 Kudos Award for Sustainable Planning from the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. This award recognizes our work over the
last 50 years in housing and community development and our continued commitment to working with low-income families to build
and sustain healthy homes and communities.


Copyright � 2014, Self Help Enterprises
8445 W. Elowin Court, Visalia, CA 93291
All Rights Reserved.
559.651.1000
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