Peoples' Self-Help Housing

The Mission of Peoples' Self-Help Housing is to provide affordable housing and programs leading to self-sufficiency for low-income families, seniors, and other special needs groups on California's Central Coast.

Please share this June newsletter with your family, friends, and business associates!

Peoples' Self-Help Housing E-Newsletter

PSHH Celebrates 40th Anniversary with 3 Stellar Events "Thank You for the Opportunity to Build a Self-Help Home!" Downtown Ventura Housing Preserved by Peoples' Restoration    of El Patio Hotel Community Service is Important Part of PSHH Youth Education Program Planned Giving Corner: Why Gift Real Estate? Upcoming Events

Are you ready for summer sunshine and fun?

Peoples' Self-Help Housing Celebrates 40th Anniversary with 3 Stellar Events

Peoples' is celebrating its remarkable history of 'opening doors' for thousands of low-income and special needs households since its founding in 1970. During this period Peoples' Self-Help Housing has developed affordable rental units and first-time homes for 6,000 low income and special needs residents. In addition, PSHH supportive services have resulted in a better quality of life for our residents thanks to programs such as on-site after-school education, case management and counseling, and financial education.

Mark your calendar for three events this Fall:

Sunday, October 3, 2 p.m. Rubin Estate, Santa Barbara
Visit the historic Rubin home and gardens near Mission Santa Barbara. Enjoy wine tasting and gourmet hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers.

Saturday, October 23, 4 p.m. Edwards Barn, Nipomo
Join the celebration at the beautifully rustic special event venue, the Edwards Barn in Nipomo. The event will feature live and silent auctions, entertainment, and wonderful food, wine, and refreshments.

Saturday, November 6, 4 p.m. Niner Winery, Paso Robles
Nestled in the beautiful hills on Highway 46, the newly-opened, modern Niner Winery provides a picturesque setting for first-class wine, music, and gourmet fare.

Sponsorship opportunities from $1,000 to $10,000 are available that will honor Peoples' legacy and acknowledge you and your business. Please contact Jim Coles, 40th events coordinator at (805) 471-2214 and jimc@pshhc.org.

Proceeds benefit Peoples' Youth Education Programs. 

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"Thank You for the Opportunity to Build a Self-Help Home!"

The self-help home project "Terebinith Lane" in Templeton will be the first home ownership experience for 33 low income households. The Cortes family of Paso Robles was the first family to qualify for this wonderful opportunity.

"This is the second time that we have applied for a self-help home with Peoples'. This time I was all ready with the income documentation and paperwork. I was very excited to get a call from Sheryl Flores, PSHH Director of Home Ownership Development, who said we were number one on the list!" said Maria Cortes.

A Paso Robles native, Maria has worked as a medical assistant for eight years. Her husband Valdemar is employed by a landscape company. They have three children: 8-year-old twins Iveth and Fernando and 3-year-old Braulio.

"We are very, very thankful for this opportunity and for the great staff at Peoples' who helped us through the process." For their 'sweat equity' portion of the housing, Maria and Valdemar have each been working over 20 hours a week on the project-every Saturday and Sunday since September 2009. They hope to move into their new home in August 2010.

If you would like to apply for a self-help home or volunteer at the construction site, contact PSHH Housing Development Director-Home Ownership Sheryl Flores at (805) 783-4465.

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Downtown Ventura Housing Preserved by Peoples' Restoration of El Patio Hotel

PSHH closed escrow on the Historic El Patio Hotel in Downtown Ventura (167 Palm Avenue), on December 31, 2009. The 40-unit single-room-occupancy project is being renovated with completion estimated for March 2011. The front portion of the hotel is being refurbished while current tenants are residing in the other half of the hotel.

New additions include a community kitchen, wheelchair lift, two handicapped accessible rooms, offices, as well as improved parking, building exterior, landscaping, fire sprinkler, new plumbing, heating and electrical systems, and an energy-efficient solar system on the roof. The hotel will serve low-income residents; 16 rooms are set-aside for formerly homeless individuals referred by Ventura County Behavioral Health Department.

Since purchasing the Hotel, Peoples' has brought in supportive programs for the existing tenants. PSHH social workers visit the property regularly, and Food Share of Ventura County is now helping to distribute food to the low-income residents.

The El Patio Hotel is a classic Mission-style hotel built in 1928. The renovation will retain the original architectural aspects of the building. The 11,741 sq. ft. renovation will preserve the hotel's original glass and brass hardware, vintage skylight, and hallway door glass transoms.

"The El Patio Hotel has been operating as one of the few options for affordable housing in the downtown core of Ventura for over 20 years. Many residents are seniors on fixed incomes, others work in downtown businesses," stated Executive Director Jeanette Duncan.

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Community Service is Important Part of PSHH Youth Education Program

Youth Education Enhancement Program (YEEP) Educator Kim Gaspar recently invited North County Humane Society Board Member Carol DeHart King and volunteer Kathleen Bockius to speak to 15 fifth graders enrolled in the YEEP after school program in Paso Robes. The presentation described the shelter, the cats, and initiated many student questions. Feeling inspired and compelled to help, the students held a bake sale at the center's Community Open House. The effort raised $36 for the humane society which will be used for the care of shelter cats. The students involved worked in the kitchen, baked cookies and cupcakes, and then tended the sale table. The fifth graders also created poster boards to advertise their bake sale!

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Planned Giving Corner: Why Gift Real Estate?

Gifts of real estate can include a house, apartment building, farm, vacation home, commercial building and income-producing and non-income-producing land. A donor can make an outright gift of real property to Peoples' Self-Help Housing now or through the estate-or use it to fund a charitable remainder trust that provides income to the donor or the donor's children. A gift of real estate typically requires certain procedural steps, including a site visit to the property, a qualified appraisal, a preliminary title report and an environmental assessment.

Advantages can include: Bypass Capital Gains Tax, Increase or Maintain Current Income, Eliminate Hassle of Maintaining Rental Property, Reduce Estate Taxes, Create Current Income Tax Deduction, Satisfy one's Philanthropic Goals, among others.

A donor may give PSHH his or her personal residence or farm, yet continue to live there for life. Further, the donor's spouse may live there for life. The donor receives an immediate tax deduction for the contribution, based on the value of the remainder interest. The property does not have to be the donor's primary residence -- it may be a vacation or second home, as long as the property is used as a personal residence (in the case of a farm, the donor does not have to reside on the property). Consult your tax advisor for additional information.

For more information on how to donate to Peoples' Self-Help Housing contact Rochelle Rose CFRE, Development Director, at (805) 962-5152 x227 or rocheller@pshhc.org for a confidential, no-obligation conversation.

visit: PSHH Planned Giving Website

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