Pedro S. G. Rodriguez
Executive Director
Saludos from the beautiful Coachella Valley!

I hope everyone is doing well, and that you and your family members are safe and healthy. In September I had the privilege to attend the move-in process for two of our Mutual Self-Help groups, one in Imperial, CA and another in Desert Hot Springs, CA. What a wonderful feeling it was to see these proud families move into their beautiful homes. Hearing their stories of how much they sacrifice to build their homes is heartwarming and inspiring, it reminds us of why we do what we do. Many families expressed their gratitude to CVHC and USDA-RD for this wonderful opportunity to become homeowners and live in a safe, decent, and affordable home. We completed thirty-seven homes this fiscal year and have 111 in construction. We are pleased to announce that USDA-RD has granted CVHC another two year grant to continue our Mutual Self Help Program in 2024-26. Our multifamily pipeline is also strong with one development in construction (Vista Sunrise II, Special Needs housing), and five developments in predevelopment stages. In Asset Management we are dealing with unprecedented increases in Professional Liability and Property insurance costs in our multifamily developments. Unfortunately, these increases will impact our residents and have a significant financial impact on our developments. I strongly believe that all multifamily affordable housing developers will need to collaborate with our elected officials to see if we can bring some relief from these high insurance prices for nonprofit affordable housing organizations. Our Resident Services programs have started our Kids Clubs and continue to collaborate with our partners to provide health related classes such as diabetes prevention, hypertension, and mental health classes. Our Resource Development team will be launching our “Inaugural Annual Giving Program” in November. We are raising funding for our numerous resident services programs.

“Como Siempre,” (As always), we thank our staff, board of directors and all our financial supporters and friends for their commitment to helping us improve the living conditions of hard working low income individuals and families.
With Gratitude,


Pedro S. G. Rodriguez
 "New Homeowners through the
 Mutual Self-Help Housing Program"
Since 1989, CVHC has been helping families fulfill their dream of homeownership. Creating affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income families is a part of CVHC’s mission. The mutual self-help housing program means homes are built in part by homeowners. In the mutual self-help program, families work together and collectively build each other’s homes by using their sweat equity in place of a down payment.   Mutual self-help housing essentially builds communities based on a shared commitment of hard work, mutual support, and lifelong bonds. To date, over 2,184 single-family homes have been constructed throughout Riverside and Imperial counties. 

In September, twenty-four families received keys for their homes in Imperial (13) and Desert Hot Springs (11). The Imperial group was under construction for roughly one year and eleven months and Desert Hot Springs Group for roughly a year and three months. Their average USDA- loan amount was $240,000 and $269,000 respectively, two families received an additional Cal Home loan ranging from $ 29,800 to $48,000.
"Meet Angel & Iza”

Angel Rodriguez and Iza Perez quit their employment to build their CVHC home; they took a job as UBER drivers to be able to work around the construction schedule. The Rodriguez family's decision to leave their jobs and build their own home was not an easy one. While it meant financial struggles and sacrifices, Mr. Rodriguez firmly believed that it was the best choice for his family. His unwavering dedication to his family is truly admirable!
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"Meet Fernando & Elvira"

In Desert Hot Springs, it was a heartwarming moment when Fernando Alvarez and Elvira Diaz were handed the keys to their new home. The supervisor, Guillermo, took the time to commend them on their exceptional attendance and hard work, especially Mr. Alvarez's unwavering dedication to work despite his knee problems. Mrs. Diaz shared that there were moments when her husband struggled to walk due to knee pain, but his determination to never miss a day kept him going. 
CVHC’s Single Family Mutual Self-Help Program offers low or very low income individuals and families a pathway to home ownership they might not otherwise have available. These services include credit and housing counseling to prepare for homeownership as wells as construction guidance and post occupancy workshops to help ensure successful home ownership, CVHC is here to walk you through it.

To find out more about the Mutual Self Help program, visit www.cvhc.org or call (760) 347-3157.
Community Engagement

Mobile Clinic
CVHC hosted a Mobile clinic with Desert Healthcare District and Foundation in Mecca at Paseo De Los Heroes II Apartments. The clinic offered services such as family health care, high blood pressure, and Glucose checking.


Free Hiking Shoes
Friends of the Desert Mountains received a grant for Hiking Shoes and chose to make a donate to our residents. There was a total of 120 pairs of hiking shoes along with two pairs of socks given as a thank you to the residents that had previously participated in hiking trips. These trips have promoted wellness outdoors along with family bonding.
Welcome New Board Members

Jose L. Santos, CPA
Board Member

Jose was born and raised in the Coachella Valley. He attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with a minor in General Management. He is the current Senior Manager at The Practice Certified Public Accountants, Inc. and has over ten years of experience working in auditing and accounting for non-profit organizations, homeowner associations, and business entities. Outside of work, Jose enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to the CVHC's Board of Directors." 
Fred Deharo
Board Member

Fred was born in San Bernardino, CA. He attended California State University, San Bernardino (1977 graduate). He was admitted to UCLA where he graduated with a Masters in Public Health in 1980. His first position was in the eastern Coachella Valley working for a nonprofit community health center. After thirty-nine years in the nonprofit community health center world, Fred transitioned (2019) to the County of Riverside, Riverside University Health System where he retired in 2022. Currently, Fred is happily retired with his wife Maria (47 years of marriage) and pet Pug Frida in their home in Moreno Valley.
Welcome New staff
Meet Anna Ochoa
Accounting Assistant II
Anna was born and raised in the Philippines and migrated to US in 2017. She brings with her a vast experience in Management and Accounting. Outside of work she enjoys reading, horseback riding, and off roading with her husband and their two (2) dogs. Anna is thrilled to be part of CVHC, to utilize and advance her skills and to help people at the same time. 
Meet Maria Buenrostro
Asset Management Specialist
Maria was born in Imperial Valley and has been a resident of the Coachella Valley for most of her life. She likes reading, building puzzles, going to concerts, amusement parks, baseball, and hockey games with her family. Maria’s looking forward to working and growing with the CVHC team.
Meet Cynthia Portillo-Rodriguez
Multi-Family Project Coordinator
Cynthia comes from the Eastern Coachella Valley. They grew up in Mecca, where they developed their love of helping the community. Cynthia was previously an environmental organizer who discussed issues around the Salton Sea and air quality. Additionally, they served 6 years in the US Army National Guard where they experienced state-side missions during the pandemic where they got to assist the Find Food Bank distribute food across the Coachella Valley. When they aren’t working, they enjoy learning how to draw and watercolor. Prior to working at CVHC, they worked at a local non-profit providing rental assistance during the pandemic. Cynthia is excited to join CVHC!
Meet Emmanuel Florido
Construction Supervisor
Emmanuel was born in Mexico and raised in the Inland Empire. He brings extensive experience in construction. He enjoys doing cookouts for his family and friends. He feels honored to be part of the CVHC family. He looks forward to helping families accomplish their dreams by being a homeowner. 

Employment Opportunities

PROJECT MANAGER I

The Project Manager I is responsible for a full range of development activities for production of multi-family affordable housing projects, from site selection/acquisition to funding procurement, through construction and into final leasing and loan closing. The Project Manager I must be able to work independently and successfully manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously. This position requires a high degree of initiative, substantial experience in structuring multi-layered financing, including tax credit equity, as well as an understanding of planning and physical design, and the construction process. 
 

Qualified individuals should send a resume and application to The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, 45-701 Monroe Street, Suite G, Indio, CA 92201, or via fax to 760-342-6466, or via email to Melissa.Evans@cvhc.org

An offer of employment may be subject to background, reference and credit checks. EOE/AA