Location(s)
With their Sand Creek development, Self-Help Enterprises is addressing the tremendous need of an unincorporated farm worker community in Tulare County which has one of the highest rates of poverty in California.
Sand Creek is a 60-unit multi-family rental development with 30 two-bedroom, 26 three-bedroom and 4 four-bedroom units serving families from 30-60% AMI. The two-bedroom and some of the three-bedroom units are single story with a standard floor plan while the rest are of a townhouse design to maximize space and efficiency. Each unit has a front porch/patio area that looks onto a landscaped common area. The site consists of 6.5 acres adjacent to Sand Creek in Orosi. The surrounding neighborhood consists of single-family homes to the north and west; land to the east side of the property is vacant and 
residential; and to the south is agriculture land (grapes) and Sand Creek. Twenty of the units are reserved specifically for farm workers and their families. The development, which opened at the end of 2006, had a total development cost of $14 million financed through TCAC tax credits, USDA-Rural Development funds ($1.8 million), and HCD’s HOME and Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing funds ($1 million).
Self-Help Enterprises also installed a photovoltaic system at Sand Creek. The one-hundred solar panel collection system is mounted on the south exposure of the 3,000 square foot community center roof. It’s anticipated that 100% of the community center and the development's common area electrical needs will be generated from the system, resulting in significant savings for years to come. Self-Help Enterprises is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Other features included in the community center include an activity room, kitchen, computer lab, and common laundry room. Outside common areas provide picnic tables, barbeque areas, a basketball court, and playground equipment.
The development provides resident services on-site including educational classes, tutoring, and after school programs for children in partnership with the Cutler-Orosi Unified School District and the National Farm Worker Service Center. Also available are Adult education classes focused on career and life skills. These include computer training, English as a Second Language (ESL), healthcare, homeownership, citizenship, parenting and money management. Outside services and facilities are easily accessed from the site. Convenience shopping, full-service grocery, health clinic and various retail opportunities are all within close proximity. A park and public library are located within 1/2 mile to 1 mile of the site.
CHC members who partnered on the development include TCAC, HDC, Enterprise, National Farm Worker Services Center (CHC’s 2008 Non-Profit Sector Inductee into the CA Housing Hall of Fame).
In the same 15-acre subdivision and adjacent to the Sand Creek multi-family rental project, Self-Help Enterprises is partnering on 48 self-help ownership homes currently under construction.
