Press

While California is among the top states in the nation in electricity generation from renewable resources, many San Joaquin Valley communities still rely on propane and wood burning to cook, make hot water and heat their homes.

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There was a celebration in Lindsay to mark the opening of Palm Terrace, an affordable apartment complex.

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Unsafe drinking water is a significant problem in parts of California, especially in small, disadvantaged rural communities. We talked to Maria Herrera—a California water commissioner and community development manager at Self-Help Enterprises—about how to tackle this ongoing problem.

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The South Fork Union School District held its monthly meeting on Thursday, October 11. The board touched on new board members, standardized state testing scores, and a potential grant to address drinking water upgrades on the middle school campus. The board addressed that currently, about 60 percent of the water fountains are shut off in the winter so that they do
not freeze. In addition, not all fountains are adequately placed for all activities.

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Self-Help Enterprises has been awarded $5.25 million in technical assistance funds from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development for the purpose of providing a program of technical assistance to carry out mutual self-help housing efforts that aid low-income families in achieving the dream of homeownership.

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The human cost of homelessness far outweighs the monetary cost of dealing with its side effects on city services. The seriousness of the condition can be measured by the amount of money being spent to cure it. In Visalia, homelessness is a $6.4 million problem.

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Affordable housing projects for people like the Sepulveda family are only built when resources to build them are available. We have an opportunity to create thousands of housing opportunities when we vote on Nov. 6. Proposition 1 is the only measure on the ballot that builds and provides affordable homes for veterans, working families, seniors, people with disabilities, the homeless and others in need of a stable home.

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On Nov. 6, California voters will have to think about where the majority of their food comes from when they decide to vote yes or no on Proposition 3. Titled the Water Supply and Water Quality act of 2018, Prop. 3 is the first in a never-ending stream of water bonds to tackle major issues unique to the Central Valley.

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Martha Ruiz and Jacob Cox recently completed construction on a home they built in Dos Palos through our self-help housing program. Before that, Martha, Jacob and their two children, ages 3 and 5, lived in a poorly insulated apartment that they could barely afford, even though Jacob works full time at a metal fabrication plant. Their apartment was in what they called a “rough neighborhood” where they were concerned about the safety of their children.

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As San Francisco began welcoming visitors arriving for this week’s Global Action Climate Summit, the PPIC Water Policy Center hosted an event on the impact of climate change on California’s water system where Maria Herrera, Community Development Manager for Self-Help Enterprises, served on a panel about Managing Drought in a Changing Climate.

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