February Newsletter

Reconstructing Homes with Rehab!

Aristeo and Genoveva Herrera have lived in Delano, a Central California city well known for their table grapes, since 1988. The Herreras raised their children while working steadily and purchased their current home in 1997. Like most homes after 20 years, their roof began to leak, plumbing didn’t work, and the kitchen just wasn’t what it once was, so they decided they needed help in making their home a safe living space, again.

Mr. and Mrs. Herrera heard about an opportunity through friends who had participated in the SHE Rehabilitation program and made the decision to apply in September of 2020. After the first inspection, the house was deemed a reconstruction – but this didn’t faze the Herrera family, they persisted with the support and guidance of their now grown children and our SHE Rehab team members; Melissa Valdez, Manager of Housing Rehab; Matt Fults, Project Manager; and Patty Garcia, Loan Processor. The Rehab Team assisted in securing the Herreras a 30-year deferred payment loan with no interest from the City of Delano along with a grant from Self-Help Enterprises (made possible by NeighborWorks America).

Like the rest of the world, the construction industry was forced to adapt to significant challenges and create project-by-project solutions to mitigate the delays and other impacts caused by COVID-19 whilst protecting resident needs and interests. JC Construction, run by Jeronimo Chavez and John Baptist Couto of Lindsay-CA went, “above and beyond,” Mr. Herrera stated, to ensure the family’s needs were met.

Genoveva shared with Patty from SHE, that she is, “happy and grateful for her new home,” and then explained that when she was getting ready to pack, she was so happy to get rid of all the buckets she had to place around the house every time it rained.

The final move-in date was February 25, 2022, and the family couldn’t be happier with the outcome and thanked Patty and Matt for their support and guidance throughout the process. Our SHE Rehab team concluded that these are the moments they look forward to for the 120-day process; deserving families building their safe and affordable homes.

SHE Rehab programs focus on common home repairs including roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, insulation, foundation, windows, and handicap accessible modifications. Families wanting to participate in the program must first contact Self-Help Enterprises at 559-802-1647, to begin the intake process, and provide required documentation to determine eligibility.

Building Partnerships in Woodlake with USDA

Self-Help Enterprises hosted a visit from Joaquin Altoro, Administrator of USDA Rural Housing Service, to our Woodlake building site on February 17^th. The visit followed a roundtable discussion with Administrator Altoro, where stakeholders communicated the Biden administration’s plans and priorities regarding Rural Development housing.

Mutual Self-Help Housing supports families building one another’s homes, but just as importantly, they collectively build vibrant neighborhoods where people can count on each other for support – a tangible symbol of SHE’s mission – “Working together to build and sustain healthy homes and communities.”

Juanita Franco, a Sr. Loan Processor for Mutual Self-Help Housing, here are Self-Help Enterprises, mentioned that it was beautiful to see the hardworking families, SHE staff, Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero, and USDA staff, “jump into action,” and raise a wall together during the framing phase in the 4^th group of homes to be built at the Woodlake location.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is our longest standing federal funding partner, and SHE was the first 523 Mutual Self-Help Housing grantee in the country in 1970. Since that time, SHE and the USDA have worked together to create over 6,000 single family home ownership opportunities for farmworkers and other low-income families in the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to providing sustainable home ownership, predominately to people of color, the program has enabled families to build wealth and has created opportunities to improve economic standing.

SHE Teams Collaborate for SJV Community Water

February proved to be a dry month, as the forecast expected, which means our Emergency Services and Community Development teams started their response earlier than years previous; and they were ready for it! The two teams responded to three different communities, Spring Mountain, Mojave, and Allensworth, by delivering nearly 5,000 gallons through the bottled water program and 124,500 gallons through their hauled water program. The Community Development team worked quickly to call on ES for emergency response, bring partners to the table, find a resolution, and secure funds to pay for necessary repairs.

When we asked Mr. Albitre, a new resident of the Spring Mountain community, he stated that the work our teams were doing wasn’t just sufficient and effective, but that, “Self-Help Enterprises was awesome!” He also mentioned how much more secure he felt about their recent purchase, knowing there were short- and long-term solutions, thanks to the hard work of their local advocate Dana Brley connecting them with SHE in 2019. To provide water to households in Spring Mountain equitably, the decision was made by stakeholders and community members to install water tanks on the properties of those who were affected by the loss of water; this took our team 48 hours to deliver, connect and fill.

If you suspect your private or community well is failing or has failed, please call the SHE Drought Line - 559-802-1685. *All programs are free, based on income eligibility.

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