The Rural Communities Water Managers Leadership Institute, or Leadership Institute for short, is a six-month training program designed to build rural community leaders' water management capacity and expertise. By the end of the program, particpants will be fully prepared to engage in long-term water management throughout the San Joaquin Valley! 

This year, the program consisted of 27 participants from 13 different communities throughout SHE’s service area, including participants from Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, and Stanislaus counties.  

Topics covered during the sessions included:  

• Overviews of regional and State water management programs  
• Water system basics  
• Current water conditions and issues in the San Joaquin Valley  
• Consensus building  
• Preparing for and participating in meetings  
• Learning from past water management  

The final session of the 2022 Leadership Institute took place on October 8, 2022, at the SHE office in Visalia. They ended with a graduation ceremony where 12 participants received certificates and gifts to commemorate completing the program! Read More

Morgan Stanley has been a quiet but strong and essential partner of Self-Help Enterprises for several years. Quiet because when they invest in our rental projects through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, they typically do so as an “upper tier” investor with aggregators like the National Equity Fund (NEF). This characterizes their role in the first phase of Palm Terrace in Lindsay, placed in service in 2018. When they came into that project, the tax credit market was in a state of flux due to changes from new tax law, so they were very much a savior during an uncertain time. Subsequently, Morgan Stanley stepped up as the primary investor in Palm Terrace II, currently under construction and slated for occupancy in 2023. They were also the investor in the recapitalization efforts for two of our older rental properties – Almond Court in Wasco and Solinas Village in McFarland – enabling us to make substantial upgrades to extend the life and energy efficiency of the buildings and make the housing more livable for the residents.

Morgan Stanley has also become a significant corporate donor, filling gaps in funding for essential work of the organization. Examples in recent years include providing a $50,000 grant to help us update an antiquated customized data system, and another $50,000 award to help us build capacity to assist resource-poor rural towns to build community resilience centers. Morgan Stanley has also shown they value our input, including our CEO Tom Collishaw as a member of their Community Development Advisory Board over the past seven years. While their financial contributions to our work have been substantial, their commitment to partnering with us to improve the San Joaquin Valley has been essential! 

Self-Help Enterprises partners with local agencies and nonprofits to provide programming and services to our residents at our multi-use community centers located within the rental communities. These programs enhance the everyday lives and futures of the residents. Via its Nutrition Programs, SHE provides children with healthy summer lunches and families with nutrition classes to promote healthy living!  

This Summer SHE offered Summer Lunches at four locations:  



• Rolling Hills (Newman) served a total of 459 meals during the months of June – Aug 
• Casitas Del Sol (Livingston) served a total of 286 meals during the months of June –Aug 
• Rancho Lindo (Lamont) served a total of 689 meals during the months of June – July 
• North Park (Bakersfield) served a total of 580 meals during the months of June – July

These meals were made possible through our partners: Superintendent of Schools, Kern County, Ravenswood Elementary, and the Livingstone Union School District. 

Multiple families received special prizes as winners of the Pre-retrofit Survey at SHE's Lincoln Plaza (Hanford) and Sand Creek (Orosi) apartments! 

The California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis, in partnership with SHE, is working to assess the exterior lighting needs of low-income and disadvantaged communities, such as Hanford and Orosi. Old exterior lighting will be replaced with renewable energy and advanced lighting (REAL) systems specifically designed to have hybrid power, smart controllers for best battery charging time, light and health, reduced carbon emissions, reliability, and community safety. 

Information and education on REAL light is provided through community engagement directly with residents by hosting kick-off meetings and onsite survey-taking at each property. Learn more about this ongoing initiative!