Self-Help Enterprises: Empowering Communities in Your Backyard
In 1965, Bard McAllister, staff member of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), created Self-Help Enterprises (SHE). Inspired by AFSC and their successful self-help housing projects, McAllister applied the same owner-builder model in Goshen, California, working with farmworker families to build their homes. This once new concept, now known as the Build Your Own Home program, brings families together to construct each other’s houses. It is what ultimately led to the establishment of SHE.
While its Build Your Own Home program is still going strong today, SHE is a non-profit organization based in Visalia serving the people of the San Joaquin Valley across a variety of programs. A nationally recognized housing and community development organization, SHE collaborates with low-income families to build and sustain healthy homes and communities. Since its inception, SHE’s efforts have touched the lives of over 70,000 families, providing not just houses, but homes and a sense of belonging.
SHE’s mission to create and sustain a healthy San Joaquin Valley resonates deeply with the East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA).
Recently, SHE partnered with the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs on the implementation of a new Well Mitigation Program. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership, SHE is the conduit for funding and services for rural residents affected by declining groundwater levels. As part of this partnership funded by the GSAs, SHE ensures emergency bottled water delivery within 24 hours, and tank installation and enrollment in a hauled water program within 72 hours for those impacted.
What Self-Help Enterprises Does
SHE offers a range of programs and services. The organization supports residents through the Build Your Own Home program, financial assistance, affordable rental housing communities, housing rehabilitation, community development, professional services, sustainable energy solutions, and emergency services including ensuring access to safe drinking water. Committed to sustainability, community building, and health and wellness, SHE provides crucial support to local residents in need.
How does Self-Help Enterprises Support the Kaweah Subbasin’s Well Mitigation Program?
SHE supports the Well Mitigation Program through its existing programs:
Tank Water Program – Install water tanks on properties with dry wells and provides bi-monthly water deliveries. SHE field technicians are trained and dedicated to taking the proper steps and precautions to ensure participants have reliable access to water.
Bottled Water Program – Provide bottled water to ensure residents have access to clean drinking water. Under the Bottled Water Program, SHE ensures a timely and safe delivery by storing water in designated units to stay prepared for emergencies like floods, drought, or contamination.
Drinking Water Solutions – Provide long-term drinking water solutions, like replacing a well, for residents impacted by declining groundwater levels.
Support Your Community! Get Involved with Self-Help Enterprises
There are many ways to be part of the SHE community and support ongoing efforts:
Volunteer: Opportunities to volunteer with SHE’s housing program, water emergency response teams, at local and county events, and more are available. For volunteering opportunities visit selfhelpenterprises.org/get-involved/.
Donate: Financial contributions help SHE expand and sustain their programs, ensuring they can reach more people in need. Donate now at https://donorbox.org/self-help-enterprises.
Partnerships: Organizations can collaborate with SHE to promote their programs, volunteer opportunities, and events, like the upcoming Summer Night Lights.
Support SHE on July 26th at the Summer Night Lights event in Tulare or Visalia!
SHE’s Disaster Resiliency department is hosting TWO Summer Night Lights events this summer. The first event will be held on July 24th at the Santa Fe Commons Apartments in Tulare. SHE will host the event again at the SHE office in Visalia on August 7th. Community members can get involved by volunteering to organize emergency supplies for attendees or assisting at the event. Donations are welcome to support emergency supply giveaways, food, and games for the kids in attendance.
To sign up as a volunteer for the Summer Night Lights event, email carsong@selfhelpenterprises.org or call 559-802-1636. To donate, visit selfhelpenterprises.org/get-involved/#donate.
For more information about SHE and their efforts, visit selfhelpenterprises.org or contact info@selfhelpenterprises.org.
Self-Help Enterprises’ Programs & Services
SHE makes the dream of becoming a homeowner a reality for low-income families in the San Joaquin Valley. Through their Build Your Own Home program, families are grouped together and agree to help each other build their houses with skilled onsite supervision and guidance of SHE construction staff.
SHE develops quality, affordable rental apartments to serve the housing needs of low-income residents and underserved farmworker communities. SHE is committed to fostering a safe environment for residents and their children and works with community partners to provide free resident services such as job training, health and medical services, financial training, and homebuyer education.
Much of the affordable housing for low-income residents consists of older homes. SHE’s rehabilitation program aims to preserve and improve these homes, collaborate with community leaders to identify needs, secure funding, and implement repairs. To date, SHE’s assistance to local communities has resulted in over 6,000 rehabilitated homes.
SHE offers several community development programs to create a better community:
- Safe Drinking Water: SHE works with small, disadvantaged communities (DACs) to develop water projects to ensure safe and affordable drinking water.
- Drinking Water for Schools: SHE supports the Drinking Water For Schools Grant Program from the State Water Resources Control Board, established for the purpose of improving access to, and the quality of, drinking water in public schools.
- Sanitary Sewer Systems: Created to address sanitary sewer issues, SHE provides essential technical and financial assistance to communities facing health risks from aging or poorly installed septic tanks.
- Leadership Development: Water leaders, community residents, water agency staff and board members can participate in SHE’s Community Engagement Leadership Institute. This program creates a space to develop relations between residents and agency staff, gain perspective on the needs of all water users, and set foundations for the hard work required to address realistic water management for everyone.
- Community Engagement & Planning: This program supports community participation in local water management and groundwater sustainability planning and aims to build long-term water management capacity and expertise in rural communities.
SHE offers housing-related consulting services for cities, counties, and other partners. These services include loan portfolio management, grant writing, grant administration, multi-family long-term monitoring, acquisition rehabilitation and infill development, income and housing conditions surveys, and program and policy development.
SHE educates residents with important information about natural disasters like floods, drought, fire, earthquake, and pandemics. The emergency services team is committed to providing resources that will ensure safety and security during a disaster. These emergency services include:
- Water Sustainability: Provide domestic well owners with emergency, interim, and permanent access to sustainable water sources.
- Water Quality: Provide accurate information on the condition of private wells and water quality, with short- and long-term solutions if contaminants are found.
- Emergency Preparedness & Resiliency: Educate and prepare San Joaquin Valley residents for natural disasters.
The Sustainable Energy Solutions program supports DACs by connecting them to affordable energy and clean transportation infrastructure resources. Through this program, SHE provides technical assistance to plan and develop sustainable energy projects in these communities.
SHE provides a range of financial assistance programs to San Joaquin Valley residents:
- Build an ADU – Provides assistance to build or repair Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) within their service area.
- Covid Financial Assistance: Assist residents and business owners impacted by COVID-19 through mortgage, utility, and rental assistance.
- Eviction Prevention Assistance: Provides funding assistance for persons at risk of homelessness.
- Homeownership Education: Provides online and in-person classes to prepare prospective homebuyers for sustainable homeownership.
- Down Payment Assistance: Offers resources and assistance for families wishing to become homeowners through traditional avenues.