August, 2014 - In This Issue

SHE In The News

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

SHE is currently hiring a Program Director for Mutual Self-Help Housing (New Homes), responsible for recruitment and development of new mutual self-help homes; and a Community Development Specialist, responsible for assisting rural low-income communities in obtaining safe drinking water and sanitary sewer disposal facilities. Learn more here.

Self-Help Enterprises (SHE) partnered with the local Madera Star Chapter "Sierra Riders" for a back-to-school backpack donation. The school supplies, generously donated by Madera Star 399 and Clawson Honda Motorsports, were presented to 180 low-income children in kindergarten to twelfth grade who reside in SHE's apartment rental communities in Madera and Biola.

Members of the riding organization arrived on motorcycles to deliver backpacks with school supplies including calculators, binders, pencils, pens, and college ruled paper.

The donated school supplies will help prepare students to succeed and build the next generation of leaders. Through SHE and Madera Star 399's continuing partnership and commitment to education, more than 1,500 backpacks with school supplies have been donated to children of SHE communities in the last several years.

 

Visit this link to view more photos from the backpack donation.  

Self-Help Enterprises (SHE) celebrates the announcement of Housing-Related Parks (HRP) Program Grant awards to its partner cities and counties for the creation and rehabilitation of community parks. With grant funds, 14 parks will be improved and one park created utilizing $2.7 million in HRP funding within the cities of Avenal, Dinuba, Farmersville and Woodlake, as well as within the counties of Kings, Madera, and Tulare.   

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Farmersville on July 18 to announce $9.7 million in emergency funds to help rural communities where water wells have gone dry due to extreme drought conditions. Self-Help Enterprises (SHE) prepared applications for five of these communities for which funds have been obligated, including Frazier Park and Lake of the Woods in Kern County and Teviston, Alpaugh, and Farmersville on behalf of Cameron Creek Colony in Tulare County.

In Cameron Creek Colony, where at least 15 private wells have gone dry, the funds will be used to extend Farmersville's water distribution system to this parched area for a long-term solution.

In Lake of the Woods, the Mutual Water Company has enacted strict conservation measures, yet continues to be affected by a loss of over 70% of their water supply. The USDA funded part of the project will modify three existing community wells to increase supply, provide funds for interim water supply and hauling, build a new 80,000 gallon water storage tank and booster pump station with a connection to the Dark Canyon well, and install about 520 feet of waterline to connect to the community water system.

Prior to the announcement, SHE CEO Tom Collishaw participated in a roundtable to discuss additional ways to provide assistance for residents affected by the drought.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced Gloria Torres, manager for SHE's Casas de la Vina rental community in Madera, as a recipient of the Multi-Family Housing Site Manager of the Year award.

Gloria, who has managed Casas de la Vina for 8 years through SHE's property management group Always With Integrity (AWI), was honored for her excellence in management, commitment to service and diligence in building caring relationships with tenants. Site managers play a significant role in assisting SHE, AWI and USDA Rural Development accomplish the mission of providing safe and affordable housing.