Self-Help Enterprises Named a Top 50 Affordable Housing Developer

Self-Help Enterprises Named a Top 50 Affordable Housing Developer

Posted on May 16, 2018

Affordable Housing Finance has named Self-Help Enterprises among the nation’s top 50 affordable housing developers. Ranked number 42 on the list and among only seven nonprofits, Self-Help Enterprises started construction on nine developments with 156 homes in 2017.

Since 1965, Self-Help Enterprises has created rental and homeownership opportunities for families and farmworkers in eight San Joaquin Valley counties – Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tulare – through our housing rehabilitation, self-help housing, rental housing and community development efforts. With agriculture at the heart of the Valley’s economy, farmworker families occupy about 75% of Self-Help Enterprises’ new construction developments.

“This ranking is a testament to our commitment to addressing the shortage of much-needed affordable housing,” said Tom Collishaw, President and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises. “We are proud of our partnerships with public officials, community organizations, and many others who work with us to provide a range of homeownership and rental opportunities for low-income families.”

Self-Help Enterprises’ housing efforts have increasingly focused on energy efficiency. In 2017, Self-Help Enterprises completed a zero-net energy retrofit of Casas de La Vina in rural Madera County. The 56-unit, nearly 30-year-old farmworker housing project underwent major energy improvements, including the installation of solar panels, low-flow water fixtures, LED lighting, and new windows. This is the first-known zero-net energy farmworker housing project with rental assistance.

Last year, Self-Help Enterprises also broke ground on two new apartment rental communities in Tulare County – the 44-unit Sierra Village apartments in Dinuba and 50-unit Palm Terrace apartments in Lindsay. Both will be completed this year and will incorporate sustainable features, including solar PV, water conservation measures, and a vanpool program.

The two rental properties use low-income housing tax credits as well as a combined total of about $9.9 million in funding from the state Cap-and-Trade Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, which provides financing to projects that will reduce carbon emissions.

This year, Self-Help Enterprises is seeking financing for more than 300 new multifamily units in six projects. In addition, the organization plans to build nearly 85 new single-family homes. These projects span across the organization’s footprint and includes rental properties in Patterson (Stanislaus County) and Fresno (Fresno County) along with single-family homes in Winton (Merced County), Planada (Merced County), Goshen (Tulare County) and Bakersfield (Kern County).