Vision · Leadership · Persistence
October 2017
From the Executive Director

Our "Celebrating Over 25 Years" gala on Oct. 10 was, indeed, a celebration!

Let me express my heartfelt thanks to all who attended, as well as to our generous sponsors.

Thanks, as well, to State Assembly member Brian Maienschein, LISC National President/CEO Maurice Jones, and MC Elsa Sevilla for their wonderful contributions. On behalf of LISC, I was honored to announce the official launch of our first-ever LISC Housing Fund. Please see below for more details.

On a personal level, it was especially gratifying to see so many leading lights of our shared causes come together. Because only by working together and sharing our expertise and compassion will we truly move ahead with our goals -- to create more affordable housing, ease homelessness, and better serve the underserved.




Ricardo Flores
Executive Director
Announcing the $50 million LISC Housing Fund
We are proud to announce the LISC Housing Fund, a $50 million multi-faceted regional fund that will help accelerate the construction of low-income apartment units throughout the county.
 
We intend to bring together capital from individual investors, agencies, banks, corporations, and locally-based foundations to fund the creation of affordable housing for San Diegans. These private capital investment notes will then be matched by LISC National, based in New York City with offices in more than 30 cities across the country, including San Diego.
 
As background, LISC’s loan-based funding model stems from the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, the federal law that mandated banks provide loans to previously ignored or underserved low-income neighborhoods for housing, development and related community projects.
 
We estimate that the LISC Housing Fund will eventually lead to the construction of up to 2,500 units of low-income housing. In addition, as implemented, these units could save low-income families some $15 million in rent.

We welcome your support and participation.
Latest News
AmeriCorps: Update on our recent graduates
Congratulations to these 2016-17 LISC AmeriCorps graduates who have taken the next step in their new careers:
  • Melissa Meza: Studying at Columbia University Law School.
  • Mahsa Imani : Hired by host site, International Rescue Committee, San Diego.
  • Ignatius "Iggy" Nguyen: Hired by San Diego Urban Beats.
  • Celeste Caton: Hired by host site, Jewish Family Services.
  • Brenna Churma: Hired by host site, El Cajon BIA.
  • Marcia Hunter: Used her education award to pay off student loans and has been traveling in San Francisco, Yellowstone National Park and North Dakota .
  • Tiffany Huynh: Studying Finance at USD; interning at CIVIC San Diego.
  • Tina Clarke: Traveling to Costa Rica to do volunteer work then to Chile for a six-week internship.
  • Miriam Melendez: Hired by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

How to become a LISC AmeriCorps member:
Interested in joining LISC AmeriCorps? Know someone who might be? If so, please forward the link(s) of any of the following local nonprofits and their available jobs to potential candidates. (Hourly figures refer to the volunteer service requirement by each agency).

LISC San Diego's projects highlighted in Union-Tribune article
We were proud to be profiled recently by the San Diego Union Tribune's David Garrick.

The article detailed our proposal to create a $50 million fund to initiate region-wide affordable housing projects.

Also included was our plan to create an Enhanced Infrastructure District in San Diego's Little Saigon district, a seven-block stretch of El Cajon Boulevard. We're grateful to the U-T for helping us tell our story.
LK Fashion Boutique: Kiva Funding Celebration
LK Fashion Boutique is the second small business on El Cajon Boulevard to be funded through the "Access to Capital" program.

With her $5,000 Kiva loan, owner Lalitibe Klu will be able to expand her inventory and grow her West African fashion boutique.

Kiva is a LISC-supported program that leverages the internet to connect thousands of entrepreneurs with millions of people willing to lend as little as $25. LISC provides a one-to-one dollar match to loans endorsed by our trustees. We were proud to present Lalitibe Klu with a $2,500 check to represent LISC's match of the Kiva loan.

Kiva loans are made through crowdfunding campaigns led by borrowers who otherwise not be able to borrow from traditional lenders. Kiva is accessible because it does not request the traditional lending requirements.

LK Fashion Boutique
5285 El Cajon Blvd,
San Diego, California 92115
Mesheeka: Lend a Helping Hand
Manuel Basabe, entrepreneur, artist and proprietor of Mesheeka in Barrio Logan, is currently seeking a $5,000 Kiva loan, to be matched by LISC Small Business.

With the loan, Basabe seeks to purchase needed supplies, make upgrades to his building site and also help promote his many community-minded ventures, which include a vast array of fashion shows, special events and art exhibits.

As he writes on his Kiva application: "At the worst time in my life I was saved by art, I used art as a way to cope with my adversity. As a young entrepreneur I would like to share my revelation with others and help as many people as I can."

Mesheeka
2113 Logan Avenue
San Diego, CA 92113
Lunch with LISC AmeriCorps Alumni
Are you a LISC AmeriCorps Alumnus? Join us for lunch with San Diego's new cohort! Lunch will be provided.

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Time: 12pm - 1pm
Location: US Bank, 5100 Federal Blvd, Second Floor, San Diego, CA 92105

For more information email kvelazquez@lisc.org or call 619-541-8016.
LISC investment in affordable housing gets the go-ahead
Developers of an affordable development to serve seniors in downtown San Diego cleared a major hurdle recently, securing $22 million in construction financing. 

The New Palace Hotel project (at left), supported by a $5.3 million investment by LISC San Diego, is spearheaded by the San Diego Housing Commission and its in-house developer, Housing Development Partners.  

Once renovated, the building, originally built in the early 1900s, will offer affordable homes to 80 low-income seniors for decades to come. 

LISC’s support of the New Palace project marks the latest example of our commitment to making direct investments in public/private partnerships that create affordable housing and economic development opportunities for San Diegans. 
A Few Minutes with...
Ignatius "Iggy" Nyugen
Youth Service Provider

“Since I'm in their age group, I try to bring a fresh set of eyes .”
For Ignatius “Iggy” Nyugen, there’s more to the arts than simply learning how to dance, sing, paint or play an instrument.

Not to be overlooked is the curative nature of artistry, soothing a bruised soul, providing a sanctuary for freedom of expression.

These days, Nyugen, a Bay Area native, brings his energy, verve and compassion to San Diego Urban Beats. That’s where he invigorates the lives of the transitioning young people he mentors at the nonprofit social service agency founded in 2015.

A recent UC San Diego graduate, with a BA in Visual Arts Media, Nyugen previously was a photography mentor at Outside the Lens, a LISC-supported social service agency. Now, further devoted to his calling, he helps his students through the healing power of the creative arts. 

What is San Diego Urban Beats?
We’re a creative innovation program for transition-age youth who are at risk of mental health challenges and use art to combat stigma against mental health services and resources. They come into this space where we provide them with positive artistic resources. Plus, we talk about such topics as relationship building, decision-making and maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health.
 
What’s your role?
As a Youth Service Provider, I provide help and counseling to young people between the ages of 16 and 25. I’m here to teach photography, film, dance, music, freestyle rapping and any other type of creative arts they’re interested in learning.
 
What do you hope to do? What’s your vision?
I feel like I know lots of different ways to implement creativity in a fun way. When it comes to being creative, some of our students feel afraid to express themselves freely. They can get self-conscious and really down on themselves before they even take the first step. I know because I’ve been in that same position as well. We’re looking to provide a series of foundational building blocks so that doesn’t happen.
 
What’s your main teaching talent?
My main talent being innovative. I enjoy seeing what has been done and finding new and exciting ways to present information. How can we visually present this, or make a game out of it to make it fun, etc.
 
What is it about you that attracted you to the arts?
During high school, I took a class called Electronic Media Production. It was class that taught film /video production. I invested lots of hours working on projects, learning new techniques, and editing. Absolutely none of it seemed like work, just fun.
 
Looking back, why was that class so different and inspiring for you?
It was one of the first times that I felt I had created something that I could call my own and a way to self-express.

619-736-5552