Resiliency in Times of Uncertainty

No one could have ever imagined what this year would bring. Amid the chaos of COVID -19 and the ghastly devastation from the Creek Fire, now the largest single fire in California history, one word continues to be present in our minds: resilience. For years, SHE’s mission has been to work together with low-income families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities. Now more than ever our communities need our help. Families are fearful and stressed, some wondering if their homes will burn down while others fear leaving their homes due to COVID-19 concerns.

Fortunately, SHE’s Emergency Services program, an outgrowth of our efforts to support families during the recent drought, is focused on engaging diverse and vulnerable populations around pandemic relief and natural disasters, such as drought, fire, flood and earthquake. The program also helps families receive urgent access to clean water, help with water well replacement and water filtration services as needed.

Thanks to these early emergency preparation efforts, SHE was primed to serve as first responders during today’s unprecedented events. Read More.
Community Leaders Ready to Lead

The first of two cohorts of the Rural Communities Water Managers Leadership Institute (Leadership Institute) completed the program on September 19, 2020. The focus of the Leadership Institute is to increase the capacity of rural community leaders and residents to better participate in regional and State water management efforts like the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the Safe and Affordable Fund for Equity and Resilience (SAFER).

The 2020 Leadership Institute was originally planned to start in March, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the start date was pushed back. With the continued risk of the pandemic, the Leadership Institute was restructured into a virtual program via the Zoom platform. Read More.
Partner Feature: Red Stone Equity Partners
For this month's Partner Feature, we would like to highlight Red Stone Equity Partners, who has been a tremendous partner in our efforts to develop high-quality affordable housing that integrates health and wellness as a core component of the project. "With the introduction to Aetna/CVS as an investor, we were able to leverage our respective strengths--SHE with housing and Aetna/CVS with heath--to blend two vital social determinants of health. We are excited to repeat the success of this partnership with Sequoia Commons II, and appreciate Red Stone's key partnership on these projects," said Betsy McGovern-Garcia, Program Director for SHE's Real Estate Development Department.

“We are truly thankful for having been provided an opportunity to partner with Self-Help Enterprises on Sequoia Commons I & II, a multi-phase affordable housing development for lower income families in Goshen, CA," said Matt Grosz, Managing Director of acquisitions for the western US for Red Stone Equity Partners."Tom, Betsy, Jose and the entire team at SHE are consummate professionals in their craft and make our job underwriting and managing complex equity investments a pleasurable experience. We look forward to our continued and growing partnership with the SHE team and celebrating with the future residents at the grand opening!”
Congressman Harder Visits Stonegate Village
On September 11th, Congressman Josh Harder visited Stonegate Village and Stonegate Shire in Patterson. Stonegate Village is transit-oriented rental community that will feature 138 affordable and energy efficient units, while Stonegate Shire is a development of 40 single family detached homes that are built through the mutual self-help housing program. The tour was led by SHE's CEO, Tom Collishaw, and was an opportunity for Congressman Harder to learn about SHE's long history of work around affordable housing in the San Joaquin Valley. Click here to view full gallery of photos.
Virtual Events & Activities
SEPTEMBER 30th - Last FB Live. Tune in for our last Emergency Prep Facebook Live, this one entirely in Spanish. This effort was in honor of National Preparedness Month featuring expert panelists who speak on SHE’s Emergency Preparedness efforts in Tulare County in collaboration with LISTOS California – a campaign anchored in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), focused on sharing life-saving messaging tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting safer behavior and improving public health across California’s most vulnerable communities. Virtual event will take place directly on Facebook and must follow @selfhelpenterprises to tune in. 
SEPTEMBER 30th - final submission date. Friends of Tulare County invites youth in grades 7–12 in Tulare County to participate in the Listos CV19 Youth Media Challenge during the month of September. In collaboration with Self-Help Enterprises and the California Office of Emergency Services, the purpose of the competition is to highlight youth-created art focused on promoting COVID-19 safety guidelines in languages representing Tulare County, utilizing two categories: graphic design and video.

Learn how to apply here.
Virtual Summit: Ensuring Equitable Involvement in Regional Water Planning
You can still register for the upcoming virtual Summit, “Ensuring Equitable Involvement in Regional Water Planning”! The Virtual Summit will take place on October 8th, 13th, and 14th from 8:30-1:00pm. Community leaders, water experts, tribal representatives, and government staff will gather to share strategies for engaging marginalized communities in regional water planning as learned through local implementation of the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Disadvantaged Communities and Tribal Involvement (DACTI) Program. Each day will address a new topic and include expert panels and interactive small group discussions to help participants coordinate and collaborate in real-time. Learn more and register: https://www.lgc.org/summit/​.​​