Vision
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Leadership
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Persistence
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Dear Friend:
To get the New Year started, I'd like to briefly describe three of our major initiatives, as follows:
LISC Housing Affordability Fund
- Create a $50 million fund to help ease San Diego's homelessness crisis and spur more affordable housing. Under this plan, we will ensure that any investments made will be returned in total to our investors, with tax deductible benefits. First phase: Raise a $10 million credit enhancement to capitalize the fund.
Career and Personal Finance Service Centers
- Expand our Financial Opportunities Centers (FOC) and Bridges to Careers Opportunities (BCO) network to provide more ongoing assistance for job seekers.
El Cajon Blvd Corridor Revitalization
- Facilitate economic development and creation of affordable housing on eight blocks of El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego known as the Little Saigon Cultural District.
In addition, we will direct and implement many other worthy projects -- always with the goal of improving the lives of the people and neighborhoods we serve.
Happy New Year to all.
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Ricardo Flores
Executive Director
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Celia Smoot: Featured speaker at "LISC Year 15 Workshop"
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Celia Smoot, Director of Housing at LISC National, will be the featured speaker and direct the "LISC Year 15 Workshop," Wednesday, Jan. 17, along with representatives from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and the Community Development Trust.
In her role, Celia is responsible for designing strategy and directing resources for much of LISC National’s $250 million of annual lending activity.
The free, day-long "LISC Year 15 Workshop" will be held at City Heights Center, 4305 University Avenue, Suite 640, San Diego, CA 92105.
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MLK Jr. Day of Service:
"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve"
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On Martin Luther King Jr. Day --Monday, January 15 -- LISC AmeriCorps members across the country served as volunteers in community celebrations and took on special projects in honor of the civil rights leader’s life and legacy.
Here in San Diego, we partnered with
Connecting with Nature
and participating sponsors to install a children's area and bee and ladybug habitat in a community enhancement project.
The "Day of Service" event was held in Southeastern San Diego, at the corner of 47th Street and Castana Street, two blocks north of Lincoln High School, from 10 am to 3 pm. It's a day on, not a day off.
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WeAllCount: Taking a census of San Diego's homeless
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WeAllCount is the San Diego name for the federally mandated annual census of homeless persons known as the Point-in-Time-Count (PITC).
The PITC is meant to be a one-day snapshot of persons living either on the streets or in short-term shelters.
This year, the LISC San Diego team will volunteer to help the count on Friday, January 26, 4 am to 7 am. For information on how you can volunteer, click on the link below.
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LISC Roundtable Series with SD Housing Federation
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The year's first session, titled "Membership 101," is set for Monday, Jan. 22, 8:30 am to 11 am, at the
San Diego Foundation
, 2508 Historic Decatur Road, Liberty Station, Suite 200. Cost is $25 for members and $35 for non-members.
"Membership 101" provides an opportunity to find out more about the programs and committees available to SDHF members and guests. Meet members of the SDHF Board and committees such as Policy, Awards, Conference, and Marketing and Outreach.
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Save the Date:
SD Regional Alliance for Fair Housing Conference
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LISC San Diego will partner with the
San Diego Regional Alliance for Fair Housing
(SDRAFFH) and the
San Diego Housing Federation in hosting
the 3rd Annual Fair Housing Conference on Friday, April 6, at the University of San Diego's Mother Rosalie Hill Hall.
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In the News: LISC San Diego
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Thank you, SD Business Journal
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We were pleased to be featured recently in the San Diego Business Journal's annual "Economic Trends/People to Watch" issue.
As the article begins: "There are few more important issues facing San Diego than its systematic issues with the creation of affordable housing."
LISC San Diego will continue to be a leader in this ongoing effort.
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In the News: LISC National
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Maurice Jones: "The real work is still to be done"
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Official U.S. unemployment rates may be low, but the statistics don’t accurately reflect the number of people out of the workforce, underemployed or lacking the skills to get living-wage jobs.
That's the message from Maurice Jones, LISC National's President/CEO, who was extensively quoted in a
recent article by The Guardian
, a respected British newspaper.
Looking ahead, Jones pointed out, structural problems remain for disadvantaged communities if their citizens are not given the skills and training they need to get into today’s jobs market.
"The real work is still to be done," Jones said, adding there is "great pride and incredible talent" in rural and urban communities that have yet to see the benefit of the economic boon. "But without the proper training it’s difficult to see how they will benefit."
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Message from the President/CEO
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In his inaugural podcast, LISC President/CEO Maurice Jones speaks about increasing the impact through what he calls a “One LISC” strategy—increased organizational collaboration, more focus on leveraging opportunities, and a cultural and operational shift in the way LISC and its nationwide affiliates operate.
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LISC AmeriCorps: Member Profile
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Last month, LISC AmeriCorps member Hannah Ingersoll facilitated our monthly members meeting. Hannah
is serving as the Youth Readiness Coordinator at the International Rescue Committee office in El Cajon.
She invited students from
Peacemakers
, an IRC youth program that aims to raise awareness through stories, to present to our AmeriCorps cohort.
We're proud of you, Hannah!
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Pari Ryan
Senior Project Manager
Housing Development Partners
"Honestly, I don’t know where I would’ve been if I hadn’t had that roof over my head."
When Pari Ryan walks by one of the many renovated affordable housing buildings in San Diego, she takes pride in seeing what she’s helped bring to life.
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In her role at Housing Development Partners (HDP), a nonprofit affiliate of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), Pari helps manage the start-to-finish process of completing those affordable housing renovations.
Among the properties she is helping HDP to renovate is the New Palace Hotel, an 80-unit SRO apartment complex for seniors at risk of homelessness in Bankers Hill.
Originally built in the early 1900s, and then rebuilt to original specifications in 1990 after a fire ravaged the site, the structure is currently being rehabilitated by HDP, in partnership with SDHC and with support from LISC.
Born in Iran, Pari immigrated with her family to the U.S. when she was 3. Growing up in San Diego,
her childhood years were largely spent living in affordable housing.
“In a way, I feel grateful for that experience,” said Pari, who later earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from San Diego State, “because it helps me appreciate even more what our residents are going through.”
Q: What is your role at HDP?
My role involves helping with the acquisition of the property, bringing together the development team, proceeding through the design phase, assembling all of the sources of financing, moving the project through every phase of construction, and then preparing it for our asset management team.
Q: What makes you proudest about your job?
When I walk by one of our developments and see people living there, just enjoying their space, that’s my proudest moment. I think to myself, “Wow, I helped make that happen.” It’s a tangible work product that makes people’s lives better.
Q: What are the challenges and rewards of what you do?
Because no two developments are exactly the same, you’re constantly on your toes and you have to be creative when difficult situations come up. And they always do. Development is pretty complex overall. So in the end, it’s rewarding to get through what can be a very challenging process.
Q: Looking back, how did growing up in affordable housing impact your life?
Honestly, I don’t know where I would’ve been if I hadn’t had that roof over my head. My family had lots of challenges, but we always had a place to live. No matter what your age, not knowing where you’re going to sleep at night can be extremely stressful. I’ve never forgotten that.
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Pari Ryan
Senior Project Manager
Housing Development Partners
1100 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 269-4640
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