We are hiring a Communications and Outreach Specialist to engage all facets of public relations (media relations, content development, design, and dissemination) and community outreach (organization, participant, and staff events).
We also have multiple openings for Community Development Specialists in our Community Development Department, which helps rural, low-income communities in obtaining safe drinking water and sanitary disposal systems. Responsibilities include working with communities, water and sewer boards, and engineers to facilitate project planning and development.
In addition, we're hiring an Office Tech with an emphasis on front office reception and participant intake.
Self-Help Enterprises offers great benefits including year-round, stable work; medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401K; paid holidays; and more.
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Our dedicated Board Members generously contribute their time and professional expertise to Self-Help Enterprises. Each month, we will introduce you to two of our Board Members.
Kayode Kadara - Vice Chair
Kayode Kadara, our Board Vice Chair, has been involved in Allensworth (Tulare County) since the 1970s when his mother-in-law moved to the community. After retirement in 2010, he and his wife, Denise, moved to the community to support his mother-in-law's community advocacy efforts and his brother-in-law's farming operation.
He and his wife advocate, coordinate, and participate in efforts and programs to enhance the quality of life in Allensworth and other disadvantaged and under-served communities in the Central Valley. Their advocacy has been in water quality, sanitation, safe and affordable housing, affordable energy, youth leadership development and environmental stewardship.
Kayode serves on the Board of Trustees of the Allensworth Elementary School District, chairs the Allensworth Community Council and serves as an advisor to the Tulare Basin Wildlife Partners.
Kayode's background is in Urban/Regional/Environmental Planning and Engineering. He served in various positions with the US Postal Service, including Pacific Area Manager for Postal Facilities. He also served in various positions with the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and South Coast Air Quality Management District respectively.
Olivia Gomez
 Olivia Gomez, one of our new board members, was born and raised in the community of Planada (Merced County) to a farm working family.
Olivia's family was among the first families to live in Self-Help Enterprises'
Bear Creek apartments in Planada. As the family grew, her parents wanted to own a home. Olivia's family went on to be part of the first group of nine families who built their own homes in Planada through the Self-Help Housing Program.
Olivia graduated from Fresno State with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism and worked for CBS 47 news for two years before moving back to Planada where she's worked for the Planada School District for 15+ years.
Upon returning to Planada, Olivia became an active member of her community. She has served on the Community Services District for the last 14 years and is part of the Municipal Advisory Council as well as the Parish Council.
Recently, Olivia worked with various board members and community leaders to form an action committee
through a partnership with Self-Help Enterprises and NeighborWorks America that has installed the "Born Learning Trail," an interactive and educational walk way for Planada families and children.
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GROUNDBREAKING OF PATTERSON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
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Self-Help Enterprises held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the first phase of the Stonegate Shire subdivision that will feature 41
self-help homes geared to low-income homebuyers. Ben Metcalf, Director of the Californa Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), Ron Tackett, USDA Rural Development Self-Help Housing Program Director and representatives from the City of Patterson attended the celebration to share their support for affordable housing. The event was held in conjunction with USDA National Homeownership Month and NeighborWorks® Week.
The decade-old project, which is part of the larger Villages of Patterson project, will consist of 120 low-income single-family homes to be completed through Self-Help Enterprises' mutual self-help housing program and up to 138 units of affordable rental apartments.
The first phase of the project, located at the northeast corner of N. First Street and Walnut Avenue, will include 41 units of self-help housing with 10 families making up the first construction group. Through the mutual self-help program, ten to twelve families are grouped together and agree to help each other build their houses with skilled onsite supervision and guidance from Self-Help Enterprises' construction staff. The homes are built under the mutual self-help method of construction where each family is required to contribute a minimum of 40 hours a week working on all the homes for a period of 9 to 12 months. Together, families pour foundations, frame homes, install electrical wiring, hang doors and windows, and paint.
These labor hours, or "sweat equity," are used as the down payment on their new homes,
reducing costs for a new home they could otherwise not afford.
Self-Help Enterprises assists each participant with securing the loans needed to build their home. Special financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of California makes these homes affordable. Through Self-Help Enterprises' partnership with USDA, 167 self-help homes have been constructed in Patterson to date.
Self-Help Enterprises is currently recruiting families for the
self-help housing program in Patterson. Eligibility requirements include: reasonable credit, stable income, income that does not exceed eligibility guidelines, and the desire and ability to build your own home. For more information, please call (559) 651-1000.
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Pictured left to right: Tom Collishaw, Self-Help Enterprises President and CEO, and Ben Metcalf, Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
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In conjunction with developing the initial 41 homes, Self-Help Enterprises is also actively working on Phase II of the project. On June 28, the Strategic Growth Council approved $12,075,537 of Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) funding for 66 units of
affordable rental housing. The project includes a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. Stonegate Village will include a community building with a computer lab and an all-purpose room, as well as tot lots and play areas. The AHSC award also includes funding for an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), bike racks for the buses that operate in Patterson, bike lanes and expanded sidewalks. The award will also fund 20 vans to be operated by California Vanpool Authority (CalVans) and free transit passes for all of the residents for three years. The improvements will be implemented through a partnership with Stanislaus County, Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) and CalVans. There will also be a second phase of affordable rental housing which will include 72 units for a total of 138 apartments.
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| ACQUISITION REHAB PROGRAM: A HOMEOWNERSHIP ALTERNATIVE |
Through the Acquisition Rehabilitation program, Self-Help Enterprises purchases existing homes in need of repairs, which are then repaired and brought up to code by licensed contractors. These homes are sold at an affordable price to qualified low-income families and to the general public.
Self-Help Enterprises recently listed a completely remodeled home for sale located at 621 S. Pratt Street in Tulare. The home is priced at $197,500 and features 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1-car garage, and deep lot big enough for a second small unit/granny flat.
For more information about this home,
visit this link
and scroll down to the "Homes for Sale" section or contact Melissa Valdez at (559) 802-1621 or via email at MelissaV@selfhelpenterprises.org.
This program has been very successful in providing affordable homeownership alternatives to homebuyers. For the Campos family, the program helped them buy their first home. Jessica and Joseph Campos were looking for a house in a good neighborhood that wasn't a fixer upper. With a tight budget, this became challenging. Self-Help Enterprises partnered with the City of Visalia to renovate a home and upon learning of this home for sale, the Campos family immediately applied and qualified for the home.
Jessica Campos shared: "We are so grateful for the City of Visalia and Self-Help Enterprises' program to buy, renovate and sell to low-income families - families like ours! There's no way we would have been able to buy a house and renovate to this extent on our budget. We are so thankful for the hard work that went into fixing up our house so we could move in with our family and make it a home!".
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