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For many people living in the rural areas of the San Joaquin Valley, their drinking water typically comes from wells that pump groundwater. However, the drought and water scarcity has impacted many San Joaquin Valley families who rely on ground water for their daily lives. A well running dry affects every aspect of these families' lives - their drinking, cooking, sanitation and personal hygiene needs.
Drilling a deeper well, which can cost $15,000 to $30,000 to drill, is out of the question for many residents. Because the cost for well replacement is expensive and affordable financing is not available, Self-Help Enterprises offers qualified families low-interest loans, coupled with other grants to finance the drilling of new and deeper water wells.
Self-Help Enterprises' Partner Services staff works closely with families throughout the grant application process - from processing the application to closing the loan. Melissa Looney, Loan Processor, shares a story that shows how important the work that we do is and what it means to individuals and families.
"Four years ago, Marjorie Kelley's well went out in Atwater (Madera County) and her son helped her purchase a small bladder tank to put on the land to hold some water for her. Marjorie said her son has needed to make repairs time and again since the tank has been springing leaks. She was recently told she would be lucky if it lasted another month. Marjorie told stories of how she takes GI showers (also known as navy or military showers) to conserve water, only flushes her toilet once a day, and eats frozen meals to avoid wasting water on cooking or washing dishes. When I told Marjorie she was getting a grant, she cried repeatedly, got up and danced and thanked the Lord for watching out for her. Marjorie does not have any local family and she has lived in the home for over 60 years. She felt as though she won the lottery with Self-Help Enterprises."
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STATE BUDGET INCLUDES DRINKING WATER FUNDS
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As a result of drought conditions, hundreds of homes in rural areas dependent on private domestic wells have lost water from lowering water tables.
To address this crisis, health, environmental, rural and equity organizations, including Self-Help Enterprises, advocated for emergency drinking water funds to be included in the 2017-18 state budget. As a result of the efforts and support from
Senator Ricardo Lara, Assemblymembers Richard Bloom and Dr. Joaquin Arambula, the
California Legislature allocated $17 million in emergency drinking water funds in the state budget to address many immediate needs.
The budget includes $8 million to the State Water Board program for emergency replacement of domestic wells and emergency connections to community water systems; $4 million to the Department of Water Resources for emergency relief and $5 million to the Department of Social Services for an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) water benefit pilot program.
"This is a critical step in maintaining a commitment to the vulnerable Californians most affected by the drought, and provides needed resources to continue work toward finding long-term sustainable water solutions for them," said Tom Collishaw, President/Chief Executive Officer, Self-Help Enterprises.
Despite Governor Brown's official declaration ending California's drought, in Central California alone, more than 1,000 residents remain without water. The funds included in this state budget will provide emergency relief including statewide well replacement, permanent connections to public systems, well abandonment and debt relief.
While this budget represents progress, Self-Help Enterprises and California drinking water advocates will continue to work toward a sustainable funding source to finance much needed water infrastructure improvements for the more than one million Californians who continue to struggle with unsafe or unreliable water.
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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
Construction Superintendent
responsible for t
he training and supervision of mutual self-help housing participants in the construction of their new homes.
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CELEBRATING HOMEOWNERSHIP
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On June 22, Self-Help Enterprises celebrated the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Homeownership Month and NeighborWorks Week in Traver, CA where eleven families, who began as strangers, are building their new, affordable homes together from the ground up.
The celebration event also recognized over 150 youth and adults from La Casa de Cristo Church in Scottsdale, Arizona who volunteered June 19 through June 22 to work side-by-side with families as they built their homes.
The rural community of Traver has historically lacked new housing options. The demand from the community for affordable housing, coupled with revitalization efforts by the County of Tulare, led Self-Help Enterprises to commit resources to help improve infrastructure and housing. After many years of planning and anticipation, Self-Help Enterprises was able to purchase and develop the subdivision in partnership with the County, who is now developing plans to improve community infrastructure. The affordable housing project is complemented by a new health clinic facility built by Family HealthCare Network, another traditional partner of Self-Help Enterprises, on a nearby site. The construction of the new self-help neighborhood, located at the northwest corner of Canal Drive and Jacobs Drive, has also resulted in sidewalk improvements along one side of Jacobs Drive.
The single-family, energy-efficient homes are all built under the USDA Rural Development mutual self-help housing program, with homeowners providing over 70 percent of the construction labor.
These labor hours, or "sweat equity", are used as the down payment on their new home, reducing costs for a home they could otherwise not afford. Once the homes are complete, the families will move in with affordable monthly payments and low fixed interest rates.
The homes, ranging from 1,256 to 1,361 square feet, feature three or four bedrooms, two baths, covered patios, and two-car garages. The families are projected to move into their new homes in March 2018.
Self-Help Enterprises provides homeownership education, financial fitness counseling, and home maintenance training prior to completion of the program. Historically, this training has made self-help homeowners among the most successful long-term homeowners of any program in the nation. Since 1965, when Self-Help Enterprises pioneered the mutual self-help housing program, the organization has helped more than 6,200 families in the San Joaquin Valley build their own homes.
The event was attended by Joyce Allen, USDA Rural Development Deputy Administrator for Single Family Housing, and Gary Wolfe, NeighborWorks America Western Region Vice President, who shared their support for rural housing and community development efforts.
Together, Self-Help Enterprises, NeighborWorks® America, and USDA Rural Development are working to build strong communities by helping families achieve the dream of homeownership.
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NEW SENIOR HOUSING COMING TO FRESNO
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Self-Help Enterprises is excited to develop affordable homeownership and senior housing rental units in southwest Fresno.
The Annadale Commons project, located on Annadale Avenue just west of Elm Avenue, will include a 40-unit affordable apartment project for low-income seniors. The unit mix will be comprised of 32 one-bedroom units and 8 two-bedroom units. A goal of the project is to serve active seniors and provide amenities for on-site recreation, while providing a living space which allows residents to stay in their apartments long-term. Accordingly, Self-Help Enterprises will provide a robust program of on-site resident services, including exercise, nutrition and health prevention screenings, financial planning and literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, computer classes, and other services based on the needs of the residents. Self-Help Enterprises will be partnering with the neighboring Clinica Sierra Vista health clinic to provide health-related services.
The community room will include a "hearing aid loop" which is a wireless system that allows presentations/speakers to go directly from a microphone into connected hearing devices. This will ensure that hearing-challenged residents enjoy the same services as other residents on-site. The on-site resident services will provide the resources for residents to remain active and engaged in the community.
The project will also feature green building practices designated to foster a sustainable future for the residents and community. Green features include solar PV to offset 100% of the common area and residential electricity loads. This will reduce the electrical costs for seniors living on-site who are on a fixed income. The project will also incorporate conservation measures such as low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, sustainable flooring and LED lighting.
Additionally, there will be a pedestrian path to provide a direct connection from the site to the adjoining Clinica Sierra Vista health clinic. This will provide easy access for seniors to utilize reduced fee medical services. The site is also within 1/3 mile of the Mary Ellen Brown Center, which provides daily meals for seniors.
In addition to senior housing, 20 self-help homes will also be built on 4 acres of the site. Through the Self-Help Housing program, families help each other build their houses with skilled guidance from Self-Help Enterprises construction staff. To date, Self-Help Enterprises has developed 134 single-family homes in Fresno through the mutual self-help housing program.
The construction of the apartments is slated for the spring of 2018 with completion in the spring of 2019. Construction of the single-family homes is expected throughout 2018 and 2019.
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