The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and Washington DC-based Housing Assistance Council Partner to Mitigate Impacts of National Housing Crisis
Contacts: Janice Clark, Housing Assistance Council, (443) 286-1538 cell
John Mealey, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, (760) 347-3157
The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and Washington DC-based Housing Assistance Council Partner to Mitigate Impacts of National Housing Crisis
INDIO, CA, May 13, 2010 – Our nation is experiencing one of the most extensive and painful economic crises of an entire generation. Housing markets are at the heart of the crisis, and millions of American families are having trouble meeting their mortgage payments and facing foreclosure or eviction. California has been particularly hard hit by these housing trends, which have left millions of households unable to either access homeownership or hold on to their homes. In light of these challenges, the efforts of nonprofit organizations such as Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) have been critical to helping low-income families in communities build and sustain affordable housing.
The board of the Housing Assistance Council, based in Washington, DC, will tour several CVHC housing developments in Riverside and Imperial counties on May 21st. The tour will include self-help housing subdivisions, farmworker and migrant housing, and rental housing. HAC will also visit the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation and the desert mobile home park known as Duroville. Several elected officials – including the Mayors of Coachella and La Quinta, as well as State Senator Denise Ducheny – have also been invited to join the tour and learn more about local housing needs and activities.
“There is an overall lack of affordable housing for people who work in the agriculture and service industries,” said John Mealey, Executive Director of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition. “In these difficult economic times, when families need assistance more than ever, one of the highlights of what we do is provide families a place to live. We are honored to be a part of this effort to offer low-income families safe and affordable housing.
”The Housing Assistance Council is a proud partner and supporter of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition,” said Moises Loza, Executive Director of the Housing Assistance Council. “Coachella Valley Housing Coalition is one of the largest producers of self-help housing in the nation and it serves some of the neediest populations. This tour emphasized the need for CVHC’s programs to continue and expand as our nation recovers from one of the most devastating economic crises that America has seen.”
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About CVHC: Located in Indio, California, about one hundred miles east of Los Angeles, the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) is an award-winning nonprofit housing development corporation dedicated to helping low- and very-low income families improve their living conditions through advocacy, research, construction, and operation of housing and community development projects. In 2007, CVHC celebrated its 25th anniversary in providing affordable housing and community development programs to hundreds of underserved communities. To date, CVHC has built nearly 4,000 homes and apartments for low-income households in Riverside and Imperial counties. In addition, CVHC has developed childcare centers, after-school programs, and medical clinics. It operates various services for its tenants and others including mariachi classes, English as a Second Language and Citizenship classes, an art program, and tennis and recreational programs. For more information, visit www.cvhc.org
About HAC: A national nonprofit corporation headquartered in Washington, D.C., and founded in 1971, the Housing Assistance Council helps local organizations build affordable homes in rural America by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, research, training, and information services. HAC’s programs focus on local solutions, empowerment, reduced dependency, and self-help strategies. HAC is an equal opportunity lender. For more information, visit www.ruralhome.og.