This summer, SHE awarded $22,500 in scholarships to sixteen students from families that have participated in one of our programs. The awards ranging from $1,000 to $2,250 were provided to students who plan to continue their education through a full-time vocational or trade school, community college, or four-year university.  

SHE's Board Members, Yolanda Meraz and Olivia Gomez, had the opportunity to represent SHE and attend the scholarship ceremony of some of the award recipients.  

Yolanda celebrated with Janessa Marquez from Orestimba High School in Newman, who received a $1,000 scholarship. Janessa lives with her family in the Rolling Hills Apartments, a SHE rental community in Newman. Janessa is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Jessup University to become a schoolteacher.  

Olivia congratulated Stephanie Vargas-Moreno, who graduated from Le Grand High School with a 4.1 GPA. Stephanie received a $1,750 scholarship. She grew up in a home built by her family in Planada through SHE’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program. She plans to attend UC Merced or UC San Diego to major in psychology to be a school counselor. Read more

We are thrilled to be included in the Affordable Housing Finance rankings for the Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers of 2022! 

Ranked number 41 on the list and among only eight nonprofits, Self-Help Enterprises is also the only organization to be included from the San Joaquin Valley. 

2022 featured incredible growth in our rental housing development work, including grand openings for projects in Goshen, Mariposa, Clovis, and Dinuba. We also added 90 permanent supportive housing units in our communities through continued partnerships with other organizations. SHE currently has 52 affordable rental communities to meet the housing needs of the San Joaquin Valley. SHE also offers housing rehabilitation, self-help housing, and further community development efforts that continue to create affordable housing opportunities for families and farmworkers in the Valley!

Complete list available here: Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers of 2022

Evangelina Duran is finally home! The City of Sanger Housing Rehab Program recently completely reconstructed her home as it was in need of critical health and safety repairs.  

Since their dad passed away two years ago from COVID, Norma Falcon, and her siblings have cared for their 87-year-old mom, Evangelina Duran, as best they could. Unfortunately, the safety of their mom's house was a consistent worry that they could not repair on their own. "Her home was totally destroyed," said Norma. "The foundation was off, and nothing was working right."   

The deterioration of the home's foundation and lack of appropriate wheelchair access made it extremely difficult for Evangelina to move around her house. The Housing Rehab program helped reconstruct the home with all the necessary accessibility features so that Evangelina could finally enjoy her living space. The doors and hallways are now wider. Her bathroom is also much safer, with a custom shower space for her wheelchair. "My mom always wanted a new kitchen, but never dreamed she would get a whole new home," said Norma. "Now that she's back home, she's much happier and eating better. She's even using her walker more often. This house got her back to her old self!" 

The final two episodes from our podcast series with Rural Matters are now available!  

In the third installment, Michael of Rural Matters, chats with the following rural water, housing, and health experts: Jessi Snyder, Director of Community Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Olivia Gomez, Family Resource Community Liaison at Planada Elementary School District and board member of Self-Help Enterprises and the Planada Community Services District; Patrick Isherwood, Director of Asset Management at Self-Help Enterprises; and Graciela Soto, CEO of Altura Centers for Health 

The final episode includes Tami McVay, Director of Emergency Services at Self-Help Enterprises; Meghan Tosney, Assistant Deputy Director at California’s State Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance; Eddie Ocampo, Director with the Community Sustainability Department at Self-Help Enterprises; and Paul Gosselin, Deputy Director for Sustainable Groundwater Management at the California Department of Water Resources. 

Together they discuss the current community services needs in rural communities, health care, emergency services, the nonprofit role in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and much more. 

“Our work at Self-Help Enterprises supports those rural communities to organize and improve the services they offer to their residents,” said Jessi Snyder, Director of Community Development at Self-Help Enterprises. “We work to strengthen the capacity of service providers, specifically in the areas of drinking water and wastewater. We also set up our rental communities to act as service hubs in rural communities.” 

Listen to these episodes, and the entire series:  



• Addressing Key Challenges in Rural Community Services (Part III of Self-Help Series)

 

• Taking Action to Resolve Water Insecurities in California (Part IV of Self-Help Series) 

Our team of 200+ people are joined with a shared mission of working with families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities. You can too!