Get Involved

Donations to Self-Help Enterprises fund a range of programs and services that help low-income families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities. By contributing to a campaign listed below, you’ll help ensure that our work to help communities continues.

DONATE

Washburn Fund

The Washburn Housing Loan Fund is a revolving construction loan fund that was established in 1985 in memory of Howard Washburn, Self-Help Enterprises’ first Executive Director, who was tragically killed in an auto accident one year after the organization was founded. The Washburn Fund is currently used in conjunction with bank loans as construction financing for families building their own homes through Self-Help Enterprises’ program.

Your tax-deductible contribution will help families not eligible for federal low interest loans to obtain affordable homeownership.

Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship Fund

The Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship, named after Self-Help Enterprises’ former Board member and dedicated friend of the organization, was established to help the children of Self-Help Enterprises’ participant families further their education beyond high school.

Through your financial support, the fund will enable Self-Help Enterprises to provide meaningful scholarships for years to come.

Urgent Repair Fund

Self-Help Enterprises’ Urgent Repair Fund provides emergency housing repair primarily for seniors and people with disabilities. The fund is designed to stabilize the homeowner’s residence by making rapid, essential repairs to keep the home livable and avoid displacement of the occupants.

McAllister Fund

The McAllister Fund, named in honor of Bard McAllister who served as Self-Help Enterprises’ Community Development Program Director, provides essential financial assistance in the development, repair, or assessment of water and wastewater projects for disadvantaged communities in Self-Help Enterprises’ service area.

Resident Services Fund

Self-Help Enterprises, along with several partner agencies and nonprofits, provides programming and services to our residents at our multi-use community centers located within our rental communities. The quality resident services programs, ranging from after school programs for students to health fairs to computer labs with free internet, are offered to enhance the everyday lives and futures of the residents.

Emergency Response Fund

The Emergency Response Fund helps us respond to immediate needs for clean water, wildfires, and other natural disasters.

Permanent Supportive Housing Fund

The Permanent Supportive Housing Fund helps individuals/families who are experiencing homelessness in our communities. Welcome Home Kits are provided to the new residents of our PSH units throughout the Valley. With your support, SHE can stock each apartment with housing essentials. By sponsoring supporting a Welcome Home Kit, you’re helping these neighbors move into their new apartments with dignity and hope for a new beginning!

Thank you for your generous donation and supporting the development of vibrant communities!

Volunteer to Help Build Homes for Families

Volunteers, age 16 and up, work hand in hand with homebuilders to help construct new, safe and affordable homes under the concept of “mutual self-help homeownership”. This is based upon the conviction that, given the proper tools, individuals can and will work to improve their living conditions.

Organized into building groups of 10-12 families, participants commit to assist in the construction of each other’s homes. Over 8-10 months, families dig and form foundations, pour and finish concrete, frame walls, install doors, windows, electrical wiring, and cabinets, lay floor tiles, and paint the homes’ exterior and interior. This “sweat equity” investment of labor provides each family with the down payment they could not otherwise afford and gives them an equity stake in their home.

As a volunteer, you will be instructed by a construction supervisor and may get to do any of the tasks listed above, possibly more. Chances are good you’ll learn new things, just as all of the families who build their own homes do. You will have an opportunity to work side-by-side with the participants, and together you’ll help to build what for many low-income families is only a dream. The great thing about this dream is that you’ll be helping to make it come true!

Whether you are an individual or an organization seeking community volunteer work, we welcome and value your time and effort helping build our homes.

All of us here at Self-Help Enterprises look forward to working with you soon.

Self-Help Enterprises offers individuals and families in the San Joaquin Valley many opportunities to build and sustain healthy homes and communities. From improving your housing situation to working as a community to identify effective water solutions and infrastructures for wastewater removal, Self-Help Enterprises can work with you as you become actively involved in improving your future.

For more information, visit our programs page.

The Doris “Do” Dooley Scholarship, named after Self-Help Enterprises’ former Board member and dedicated friend of the organization, was established to help the children of Self-Help Enterprises’ participant families to further their education.

This competitive academic scholarship is available to students from families that have participated in one of our programs and who plan to enroll full time (12 units or more) in a vocational or trade school, community college or four-year university. Scholarship recipients must submit verification of enrollment prior to disbursement of funds.

Please submit the following items:

• English Scholarship Application Form / Aplicación de Beca
• 1-2 page essay discussing family background, future goals and aspirations, and how the scholarship award will help achieve those goals
• A copy of the current high school or college transcript
• Two letters of recommendations

Please mail completed applications to:

Self-Help Enterprises
Attn: Julie Scaife
P.O. Box 6520
Visalia, CA 93290

OR email to:
julies@selfhelpenterprises.org

Applications must be RECEIVED by Friday, March 29th, 2024. 

The Self-Help Enterprises Scholarship Committee comprised of members of Self-Help Enterprises’ Board of Directors will make the final selection. An announcement of the scholarship awards will be sent to the recipient student’s home.

Self-Help Enterprises offers an exciting work environment where you can bring your high caliber skills to a true career opportunity and impact the world around you.

Our team consists of dedicated individuals from a variety of professional and technical backgrounds: real estate brokers and agents, licensed contractors, financial and land development experts, management specialists, information technology, accounting and clerical all joined with a shared mission of working with families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities.

We are an equal opportunity employer and offer an excellent benefits package including paid vacation and holidays, health, life and disability insurance, 401(k) retirement, and tuition reimbursement.

People are counting on us.

Self-Help Enterprises’ home rehabilitation program and new homes program strives to sustain the quality of life in our community by providing affordable housing rehabilitation and homeownership options to low-income families.

These programs also provide employment opportunities for local contractors. Self-Help Enterprises offers licensed general and residential contractors an opportunity to become an approved contractor in order to bid on rehabilitation and new homes projects. We maintain an open list of pre-qualified, licensed and insured contractors.  Only pre-qualified professionals are eligible to submit bids.

Below you can download useful forms and applications:

• Housing Rehabilitation Contractor Application
• New Homes Subcontractor Application

Lanare Community Center Rehab Project:

• Contractor Application
• Civil Application

If you have questions regarding the applications above, please call Self-Help Enterprises at (559) 651-1000 or email us at info@selfhelpenterprises.org.