Dear Friend:
"Californians will have the opportunity in the November election to replenish much-needed funding to build housing for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents.
"California’s Proposition 1, the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2018, would authorize $4 billion in general obligation bonds for housing-related programs and housing loans for veterans.
"Never before has such a measure been so urgently needed."
That's how my Op-Ed article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, published on Aug. 2, begins. LISC San Diego stands behind Proposition 1, which will appear on November's ballot.
Also, on behalf of AmeriCorps, we're proud to announce that LISC San Diego has once again made our annual donations totaling more than $500,000 to 14 non-profit organizations.
The donations are led by $86,000 each to the International Refugee Committee and Outside the Lens. Starting in October, AmeriCorps, which is expertly administered in-house by LISC's Karina Velazquez, will launch its new program with 22 selected members. We welcome them and know they'll benefit from their involvement.
In addition, let me recommend this month's edition of "A Few Minutes with..." profiling Stephen Russell, executive director of the San Diego Housing Federation. We're proud to partner with Stephen and his staff on a number of on-going affordable housing projects that make San Diego a better place to live for all.
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Ricardo Flores
Executive Director
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Want to join our LISC San Diego team?
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LISC San Diego seeks a Lending Program Officer to advance its community development lending program.
This person will be responsible for lending business development and loan originations that support LISC’s strategic priorities and a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization.
Primary responsibilities will include identifying project opportunities; providing technical assistance to local borrowers; initial vetting of projects and structuring financing needs; and developing key relationships and partnerships with public and private leaders in local markets.
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Financial Inclusion Summit
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The National Disability Institute invites you to the Financial Inclusion Summit: Assuring People with Disabilities Access to Mainstream Financial Services on
September 19, 2018 from 10am - 4pm at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation.
This Summit will bring together leaders in government, the financial services sector, the disability and asset building communities and Fortune 100 companies to discuss strategies for improving financial access for individuals across the spectrum of disabilities
Our Program Officer, Bryndan Stueve, will be on the panel for "Advancing Financial Inclusion Panel: Collaboration with Financial Institutions".
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LISC San Diego Gala: Coming in October
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LISC San Diego will celebrate 27 years of community development in San Diego at our annual Gala, on Tuesday evening, Oct. 23, at the downtown Central Library.
Our featured speaker will be Rick Allen, a distinguished author and CEO who created AmeriCorps -- the domestic Peace Corps -- while a high-ranking member of President Clinton's executive staff in the early 1990s. LISC administers AmeriCorps here in San Diego and throughout the country.
What's more, Allen is the author of "RFK: His Words for Our Times," an acclaimed best-selling book of Robert F. Kennedy's most memorable speeches. The book's recent publishing marked the passage of 50 years since RKF's assassination in 1968. In early June,
Allen joined with Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, one of Kennedy's 11 children, in making the network rounds.
By added coincidence, it was Bobby Kennedy whose early-1960s walking tour of New York's Bedford-Stuyvesant led to the nation's first CDC (Community Development Corp), later to become a forerunner to the creation of LISC.
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We are grateful for the continued support we receive from our funders.
This month, we thank for BofI, Wells Fargo and California Bank & Trust for their ongoing generosity and commitment to LISC San Diego.
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It's Been One Year Since Harvey Struck. Here's What We've Done
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In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which wrought an estimated $50 billion of economic and property damage in the Houston area last August, LISC has been working hard to help communities recover—and become more resilient in the bargain.
Through our $100 million recovery fund and multiple partnerships and collaborations, our Houston and Rural programs have made steady strides in rebuilding and equipping Texans for jobs and other economic opportunities that can make the region stronger going forward.
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2018 Strength Matter Financial Management Conference
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When? Tuesday, Oct 16, 2018 12:00 Noon - Thursday, Oct 18, 2018 12:00 Noon
Where? Westin Dallas Downtown
Who should attend? CEOs, Board Members, CFOs and other finance professionals working in the affordable housing industry. Open to all groups interested in learning and networking with finance staff from other affordable housing organizations.
Why? To strengthen the community of leaders that is critical to the success of the community development industry.
The Strength Matters Financial Management Conference the only event of its kind serving the strategic and finance arms of the community development sector. The conference begins with a kick-off lunch on Tuesday, October 16th featuring David Erickson of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Formerly known as the NeighborWorks CFO Convening, this newly expanded format will significantly increase the peer exchange and learning opportunities. 250+ CFOs and other senior financial staffs are expected to attend for networking and hands-on workshops to help strengthen organizational capacity in rental development and ownership, lending, home building, financial reporting, and business management.
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Recruitment for 2018 - 2019 Cohort
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Interested in joining LISC AmeriCorps? Know someone who might be? Review the opportunities by clicking on the link below. There are 22 positions available at 14 different nonprofits across the county!
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LISC AmeriCorps Graduation
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We are thankful to everyone who joined us for the 23rd Annual LISC AmeriCorps graduation. Our members are going on to great things as their terms come to an end.
Special shout out to Congressman Scott Peter for joining us to help send off our members and welcome Year 24 sites to the program!
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Left to right: Hope Mago (HCAP Partners), Stephanie Barrett (Bank of America), Maria Vizcarra (CalPrivate Bank), Gordon Boerner (US Bank), COngressman Scott Peters (CA - 52), Ricardo Flores (Executive Director), Mitch Johnson (International Rescue Committee), Anchi Mei (International Rescue Committee), Karina Velazquez (AmeriCorps Program Administrator).
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Back row left to right: Amiel Capinpin, Katie Melendez, Kit Horita, Abigail Shneyder, Amelia Cary, Hannah Ingersoll, Maria Aparicio, Ian Gibson.
Front row left to right: Grace Rice, Songo Wawa, Karina Velazquez, Stacey Forcier, Erica Cook.
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Stephen Russell
Executive Director
San Diego Housing Federation
When it comes to talking about San Diego’s current affordable housing crisis, Stephen Russell doesn’t mince words. He’d prefer to voice what he believes to be the truth, that the issue of housing – ranging from the increasing shortage of low- and middle-class housing to outright homelessness – likely won’t be solved any time soon.
As he freely states, the situation is “going to get worse before it gets better,” which makes his day-to-day role even more challenging. That’s because now that he’s in his third year of leading the San Diego Housing Federation, a non-profit coalition of private and public entities, his overriding task is to make things better.
Trained as an architect, with a degree from San Diego’s New School of Architecture, Russell’s name has been more prominent in recent months as the city’s elected leaders deal with a rising tide of housing-related issues.
A 25-year resident of City Heights who grew up in Scripps Ranch, he serves on numerous housing-related boards and commissions, while also teaching a project-based planning course in City Heights for USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.
In his relaxed and thoughtful yet equally energized manner, Russell recently talked about his role:
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