June 30, 2025 • 49 mins
In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Lisane Basquiat sits down with Alexis Rodriguez, Shannon Morrison, and Lakeysha Sowunmi from Community HousingWorks — a San Diego-based nonprofit redefining affordable housing. Together, they unpack how a stable home is just the beginning. Through supportive services focused on financial wellness, education, health, and leadership, Community HousingWorks empowers over 12,000 residents across California and Texas to not just survive — but to thrive. From senior tech literacy programs to student scholarships and civic advocacy, this conversation is a masterclass on creating generational impact through housing equity.Key Themes:
Learn how to set boundaries without guilt. Join Lisane's next Protect Your Peace Shaping Session today: https://shapingfreedom.com/boundaries-workshop.
- Affordable housing as a foundation for dignity, opportunity, and freedom
- Three-pillar support: financial well-being, health & wellness, and next-gen success
- The importance of location in high-resource neighborhoods
- Resident-led advocacy and leadership development
- How individuals and organizations can help
Learn how to set boundaries without guilt. Join Lisane's next Protect Your Peace Shaping Session today: https://shapingfreedom.com/boundaries-workshop.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
We do a lot of work around advocacy in a
way that we're empowering residents and letting them know you
also can speak about this and this is how you
can get there.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I feel like we're helping people not just within the
small apartment community, but then how those people are affecting
change in their water community.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Is not just providing them with the opportunity to have
a stable home. It's so much more, you know, providing
them the resources that they need to not just survive,
but to thrive.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom Podcast, where we dive into
conversations that inspire personal growth, transformation and clarity and challenging times.
I'm your host, Lysan Bosquiat. Today's conversation is about home,
but not just four walls and a roof. This is
about dignity, stability, and the ability to shape a life
(01:06):
with freedom and choice. I'm joined today by three powerful women,
Alexis Rodriguez, Shannon Morrison, and Lakeisha Shiwomi, who are each
playing a key role in transforming lives through their work
at Community Housing Works, a San Diego based organization that
has been creating affordable housing and supportive services for over
(01:29):
thirty five years. Their mission is more than buildings, though
it's about legacy, It's about disrupting cycles of poverty, supporting
family systems, and restoring hope where housing and security has
taken its toll. Whether they're working directly with residents, advocating
for policy change, or designing community programs that support everything
(01:53):
from financial literacy to wellness, these women are reimagining what
home can be. This episode is for anyone who believes
that where and how we live shapes who we become.
It's for those of us who want to understand the
real stories behind the housing crisis and the real solutions
being built from the ground up. Alexis, Shannon, and Lakeisha,
(02:16):
Welcome to Shaping Freedom podcast. I really appreciate you being here,
and I wanted to say that this is the first
time that I've invited a nonprofit to have a conversation
with me on this podcast, and I've chosen to do
(02:40):
so because I know and have born witness to the
incredible work that the Community Housing Works team is doing
in San Diego and the few other places in the
country where you're doing this work, and I thought that
it would be some thing wonderful to share with the
(03:02):
Shaping Freedom Podcast listener community as a way of really
bringing attention to this work that you all are doing
and to bring attention to a different way of handling
the housing crisis, which is what you all have teamed
up to do. And so this is a slightly different
(03:24):
conversation that we're going to have today, but we're still
going to get into the meat of what it is
that you're all doing and how an ordinary group of
human beings have come together to do this extraordinary work.
And so the overarching question for this episode is what
does it truly take to create not just affordable housing,
(03:48):
but a foundation for generational freedom, dignity, and opportunity, which
is exactly what you all are doing. So before we
get into it, or as we get into it, first
of all, I want to thank you all for coming.
Welcome you all, Thank.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
You, thank you.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah, we appreciate you inviting us to this wonderful opportunity.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah for sure. And before we get into talking about
community housing works, i'd love to hear a little bit
about each of your kind of like your origin, your
professional origin story, Like what is it that led each
one of you to do to have the motivation to
(04:35):
do the work that you're doing to support community housing
works and such an incredible cause.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I grew up in a somewhat I guess rough neighborhood
in LA and I was one of the first ones
in my family to graduate college, except for my grandma,
who actually went back to college after her kids we
were fully raised and she became a teacher. She was
(05:04):
my inspiration. But I I really saw firsthand a lot
of the challenges that that my my family, my friends
families experienced with opportunity, with opportunity to.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Two explore.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Different different experiences to with going to college, with leaving
where they grew up. And so when I was younger,
my parents really try to get me involved with or
kept me involved with sports, and I played travel softball,
(05:55):
and through that experience, I was able to visit new places,
new cities outside of what I knew, and that brought
in my perspective, that brought in a lot of of
what I was used to. So I think I take
(06:17):
all of that with me professionally and that is what
fuels my passion to be in the nonprofit sector. I
I love being able to do work that makes an impact,
and with community housing Works with HW, I feel like
I am able to bring my personal experience to the
(06:40):
work that I'm doing to help empower those families to
you know, to build better futures.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
So that's wonderful a little of where I'm coming from.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Yeah, and how did you wind up? Well, first of all,
what do you do for HW? And how did you
wind up there?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So I am the VP of Philanthropy and Community Engagement
for HW. So what I do, what my team does
is we focus on all of the philanthropic efforts and
do the fundraising to support our residence services and programs
(07:21):
that we offer in our HW communities.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
And so I actually.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Started in the nonprofit sector rights out a little after
I graduated from San Diego State. My grandma was diagnosed
with Alzheimer's and I volunteered at the Alzheimer's Association of
San Diego And so I was doing that for a
bit and a job opened up to help them with
(07:51):
their memory walk, with their five K walk, and I
started working with that organization, loved it. I started working
with volunteers, and that I think is what really helped
me fall in love with the nonprofit sector. I think
that volunteers are the key to nonprofits and so I
(08:13):
got a chance to work with so many people who
were giving of their time to do so many great things.
And since then, I've been in the nonprofit sector. You know,
I've had a few different positions before this, but it
started with volunteers and then I love building relationships and
(08:34):
so I easily transitioned into fundraising and I've been in
fundraising for nonprofits ever since.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Oh, it's wonderful. Thank you.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
Yeah, Shannon.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
All right, So my name is Shannon Morrison. I'm the
associate director of Resource Development and Operations at Community Housing Works.
I am part of Alexis's team there, so, like she shared,
we are focused on philanthropy and fund raising. And I
started my career in fundraising in college. I got an
(09:05):
internship at an art museum on my college's campus, and
I really felt like this was tapping into my natural
skill sets. A little bit of event planning, a lot
of relationship building, and really just looking for where is
that mutually beneficial place that we can come to that
(09:29):
will support you know, my organization and this person i'm
speaking with or a company.
Speaker 6 (09:36):
A lot of my.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Focus has been on corporate relationships, and so I was
recruited to Community Housing Works about six and a half
years ago, and I actually had not heard of Community
Housing Works. I am a fourth generation Sandyegan, so this
is my home.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
And I was so.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Like inspired when I learned about Community Housing Works when
I took that first meeting to really learn what CHW does,
and it came at a time when I felt like
a lot of people that I knew from high school
were moving away from San Diego because they couldn't afford
to live here, and so it felt very important to
me in terms of, you know, if someone considers this
(10:23):
their home, I think it's so important for them to
be able to stay and to be able to have
a place where they can thrive. And what has kept
me at HW for six years is just that connection
to the mission. I feel like every year I get
a chance to meet new people who live in CHW homes,
(10:43):
who are doing amazing things with their lives after having
overcome something and just hearing what an impact a stable
home has made for them, where they're able to make
that kind of shift in their mindset to moving to
thinking about not just where am I sleeping today, how
am I going to pay rent this month, but finally
(11:05):
being able to make that shift to what do I
want to do with my life? What can I do next?
Where can I learn? Where can I grow?
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, it's like moving out of survival mode.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Is what I find so interesting and so compelling about
what you are, what you all are doing. It's helping
people to step out of having to survive into the
stability and what can come when you have stability.
Speaker 6 (11:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Lakeisha, Hi, my name is Lakeisha and I'm the director
of Residence Services and Programs here at Community Housing Works.
I have been with the organization for nearly five years.
And what drew me to Community House and Works is
that my background is public health, and I just remember
(11:58):
being at evin and different community advocacy gatherings and rallies
and folks really wanting to make a difference in their
community and they would actually advocate for housing.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Over anything else.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I just remember being at an event once where community
members they came to my booth and I was at
that time, I was teaching about healthy eating as well
as the importance of physical activity, and they didn't want
any part of that. They wanted me to help them
find somewhere to live. And so with my background with
(12:38):
public health as well as a community outreach THCHW has
really been a place for me to reach out to
those that are looking for resources that may not always
find them in the community. I spend a lot of
time in the community, not only with residents but also
with other partners, really bringing those resources and different levels
(13:03):
of expertise within our portfolios to really serve our residents.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Thank you. So I learned about HW through a friend,
Sean Spear, who also is the president and CEO of HW,
and I was fascinated, fascinated to hear about this very
unique way of responding to the housing crisis. So for
(13:35):
those who are like, Okay, what are we doing? Can
somebody tell me what CHW is? What do you who
are you all and what do you do?
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So CHW we actually started back in nineteen eighty eight
and we were founded from a group of social justice advocates,
some city leaders who all shared a goal of creating
(14:05):
affordable housing, affordable homes for for people who need it,
for families. And what's really cool is that we our
first community, Las Casitas, which is in Escondido, is a
community that HW still still manages and operates, and so
you know, we were We were really formed out of
(14:27):
the need, the need for the urgent need.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
For affordable housing.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
And so what we do is we provide that we
provide the brick and mortar apartment buildings, but that's just
the beginning of the mission, you know. We we go
beyond that and also offer residence services and programs that
(14:56):
are what we call our three pillars, that cover our
three pillars. So we provide resources and tools that help
people with financial well being, with health and wellness, and
something we call Next Generation Success, which focuses on education
(15:17):
and career pathways. So that's that's really what we do.
So we are developer and service provider for residents and
we are right now in fifty two fifty three communities
across California and Texas, serving more than twelve thousand residents Lakeisha.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Twelve thousand plus. And it's funny because we always kind
of go back and forth, like are we at eleven
thousand or twelve, but we recently went over that twelve thousand,
that twelve thousand mark, so it.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Is great, congratulations, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
A big part of our mission is that opportunity begins
with a stable home. So like Alexis was sharing that
apartment that we provide. We really do see us just
the beginning and like we were sharing. Once people have
that stability and safety, we support them with those programs
to help them, you know, dream about the future and
(16:23):
what could.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Connect Tell me a little bit anyone can answer, like
how you're doing that, So talk a little bit. I
know you mentioned briefly the programs, but I fear that
(16:45):
that's being missed because it's such a unique and interesting
way of providing housing. Can someone explain a little bit
more about the programs? What does that mean? So we
know you're providing the homes, they're affordable homes, but what
(17:06):
is unique about the value proposition that you're providing to
your residence.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
One of the reasons that CHW stands out so much
is because of the services that we provide for our residents.
Within those services are also programs, so residents they could
get everything that they need within their community. Under the
three pillars of residence services that we have, we're addressing
(17:37):
youth development, educational opportunities.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
We have career pathways.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
So that we're opening doors and really exposing residents to
different trades, different routes to have a successful life. We
also have our after school program as well, so we're
we're creating a pipeline for our kids to really succeed
(18:04):
in life. Under the Next Generation Success pillar, the goal
of that is really to make sure that residents when
they're on site, they could receive support services that they
may not have opportunities to or access to on the
outside of our communities. Another pillar that we have is
(18:25):
financial Wellbeing, and with this pillar, we're really building residents
in the area of their finances. Now, some folks finances
are really personal. Sometimes people you know, they have this,
they have thoughts around finances, and our team we're really
able to come in and help them. So we're able
(18:48):
to go in and build that rapport, build that trust
with residents. So we're teaching them how to budget, We're
teaching them how to save their money, how to improve
their credit score, so they're getting all those services right
there within the confines of the community. And our last pillar,
(19:08):
which is our Health and Wellness pillar, we're able to
really make an impact and address food and security. One
of the programs under that pillar that we are really
excited about and proud of is our Senior food Box delivery,
So we have staff that actually deliver food boxes for
(19:30):
seniors right at their doorsteps. Seniors don't have to walk
very far, they don't have to drive across town or
drive to another city. What they have is right there
in that box. So with these three pillars, it's really
you know, we have been able to really show that
(19:51):
there's an impact because all those services are interconnected.
Speaker 5 (19:56):
You can have one without the other.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
And so as we look at those type of wrap
around services and what we're really able to help the
residents live a really, really productive and successful life.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
We really are proud.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Of those pillars because you know, residents they're able to
get supported right where they're at.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, yeah, you should be proud of it, because again,
there's one thing to offer a space. It may have
been shown if not it was one of you, but
someone I heard someone on your team say that your
part of your mission was to make this the last
affordable housing situation within UH, within a family's legacy, and
(20:47):
I thought that was very It's ambitious and also what
I really appreciate about it is that it's really about
helping those in individuals to know what they can do
so that they can be out of the affordable housing
(21:09):
kind of lane, which which is really how you build
lasting impact. It's really how you take this incredible work
that you're all doing and allow people to practically apply
it to their lives. You know, we did a quick
(21:29):
like lunch and learn at Harrow Hub Carlsbad a few
weeks ago, and you brought with you brought along a
couple of people who would actually who actually live within
your community and who have experienced the benefits of it,
and which is really wonderful to hear about the really
positive impact upon the lives of that particular student who
(21:52):
was in the room where you know, not having to
worry about where you're going to live means that you
have more time, energy and your parents have more time,
energy and emotional bandwidth to be able to support you
through the different road maps that we set out to
(22:13):
in doing this work. So what about this work thrills
you on a day to day basis? Like what feels
good about this work that you're doing? And I'd also
love to hear about some of the challenges that you're encountering.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I mean, what comes to my mind when you say
that is we just celebrated our valor scholars on Saturday,
we had a celebration to celebrate fifty residence scholars that
are pursuing continuing education and CHW invests in them by
awarding them a thousand dollars scholarship to support their education journey.
(22:50):
And it's so wonderful to get to meet these individuals
and hear what their dreams are and what they are pursuing.
The young man who spoke at the event is first
generation Collins student and he is headed off to Stanford
in fall, and he was just talking about how much
(23:12):
he wants to help people because of the help that
he's received through CHW and through the programs that we offer.
And I just love to be able to hear that
and to kind of see that ripple effect, you know.
We I feel like we're helping people not just within
the small apartment community, but then how those people are
(23:36):
affecting change in their broader community is something that really
motivates me and inspires me.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yeah, because when you're treated with compassion, you wind up.
It helps you to be a more compassionate person in
the world, you know, And what about for your other ladies.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I would say Valor is one of one of the
best events we have and it's so great to see
all of our our scholarship recipients and hear what they're doing.
But another thing that excites me is what we're doing
with our older adults programs. Earlier actually in December, we
(24:16):
were able to open up our first computer lab and
one of our one of our h W senior apartments
through partnership with with one of our local corporate partners.
And it was really amazing to see the excitement around this,
(24:41):
you know, and and the work that we were able
to do to help bridge the digital divide that that
seniors are facing. And along with that we just didn't
open up the computer lab. That also came with fight
with digital literacy workshops and coaching to to help uh
(25:02):
those older adults learn how to use the computers. And
I think that is really important. It's important work and
and you know it it helps too to expose them
to to new things, which is which is great.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Yeah, Okasha, So this work is very motivating invigorating from
me personally.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
We have one of the examples that I could share
is that we have a resident that's involved in one
of our programs called the Resident Leadership Academy, and it
was really his way in others way as well, to
not only do work within the community, but also the
(25:53):
surrounding communities as well. And he worked on a project
to work with Public Transportation and some of our other
partners like Circulate San Diego to make modifications to the
traffic lights. There were a lot of uneven sidewalks, bumpy streets,
(26:15):
and he was able to actually present at one of
the city council meetings. And so that type of work,
that advocacy and what it takes to really speak upon
those problems, that really motivates me to continue to provide
the services, provide the roadmap to having a really successful life.
(26:35):
Because you know, that resident in particular, and many other residents,
I feel like we get the opportunity to give them
a voice that they may not ever recognize or known.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
That they've had before.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
And so when I think about just that situation, there
are other opportunities for us to create those leaders from
within because we're impacting the lives of residents where they're
being committed to civic service, you know, outreach them, reaching
out to the mayor of the city and other political
(27:13):
figures to really see those changes within the community. And
that just doesn't happen by happenstance. It's intentional work, it's partnerships,
it's collaboration. It's really building residents to speak to to.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Do things that they've never done before.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And so when I think of that part, that side
of my job and that side of my work, it's
really inspiring, you know, and we are we're seeing a different.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Generation even come behind, you.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Know, those forerunners, those that may have gone before us.
And to be able to really help them and pull
them up and encourage them, it's really a great thing.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
And then I'm excited about that part of the job.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
That's wonderful. Before we move into I'd love to know
about some of the collaborations that you have and the
kind of partnerships that you're looking for. I did want
to just mention one thing that no one mentioned yet,
and that is that another unique aspect of this nonprofit's
work is that you set up this affordable housing in
(28:26):
right in great neighborhoods, so you can someone speak to that.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I can speak to some of the partnerships that we have.
So within our portfolio, we have a lot of communities
that require special attention, and so with those partnerships, we
really bring folks on that can address that level of
expertise that we need within our portfolio. On the other
(28:53):
side of that, we work with other nonprofits that provide food,
for example, the San Diego Food Bank, and with that partnership,
they're able to provide free food for our residents. We
also work with after school programs like the Boys and
Girls Club to support our after school programs. So these
(29:18):
partnerships they are they are really they really help us
meet a need that we may not meet alone. Right,
It takes a community, and so with us, we're able
to really reach out and get that support that we
need to serve our residents in the areas that they need.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
And what kind of partnerships are you all looking for?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
We are looking for partnerships that could help us with
funding a lot. So we look to partner with companies
who can provide maybe sponsors ships to help us provide
the services and programs across our communities. We're also looking
(30:07):
for partnerships with other local nonprofits and organizations who are
doing similar work because you know, I think that together,
if we can collaborate, we can make a larger impact
than on our own. So we are open to working
with other local organizations like.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
That incredible and then can someone speak to again. One
of the things that I think is why do you
choose to have these developments within any neighborhood USA, like
any neighborhood in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
So we do have an acquisitions team as a part
of our housing and real estate development team, and they
are always on the lookout for any kind of opportunities
that are out there for our community.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
And different.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Parcels have different requirements, but something that they're always looking
for is being able to put a HW community in
what you're talking about, Luzanne, we call a high resource area,
and so it is so amazing to be able to
offer that to residents. You know, our team is always
(31:26):
looking for close to public transportation, close to libraries, close
to grocery stores, because a lot of residents come to
us not having their own car, and so that is
something that's important when they're kind of looking to tick
all the boxes of what are.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
We looking for.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
The beauty about the work that we do here at
Community House and Works is that we're all over San Diego.
I mean, we cover just about every region and within
those regions, we're also able to get the support that
we need from external partners, external donors, and different stakeholders
(32:09):
as well.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
And I know you have had some experience with our
Carlsbad community, but another community that comes to my mind
is in Poway and we had a resident come to
one of our events this year who he's a recent
college graduate, but he spoke about his time in high
school and being in that community in Powway and how
(32:33):
that exposure to a higher resourced community really changed his
like his trajectory. His friends in high school had parents
who had careers he had never thought of, and it
just they were able to be a resource for him
for applying to college and things that he just did
(32:56):
not know or was not aware of growing up low
income before moving to that community.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
I think that that's part of the value proposition, is
that when you are in that situation, and people get
into that situation a variety of ways, and the truth
of the matter is is that wages are not matching
housing and living costs. They just are not. And so
what that means is that there are people who wind
(33:23):
up really struggling within that reality that very real challenge
and mismatch here in the world. And so having the
ability to feel that even in those circumstances, or while
in those circumstances, that you don't have to be completely
isolated into where you have the ability to actually be
(33:48):
around like you mentioned high resource areas, where the benefits
of that are that you get to interact with people
who can help you to and help your family to
move out of those circumstances into a better place. Is
part of it, right, It's kind of like some of
those benefits that may not be present right off the bat,
(34:14):
but it's part of the impact of really helping families
to move out of that situation. So what kind of
challenges are you all facing? And again, you know, this
(34:37):
is like I said, great, great work. Those who are listening,
I encourage you to look up Community Housing Works HW
to see what they're doing and to see what they're
up to, and to consider how you might be able
to help or contribute or partner in whatever way UH
(35:01):
is mutually beneficial. But what are some of the challenges
Because this is feel good work and all of that,
but again, it's you're meeting a need. You're meeting a
very very real need that impacts human beings, families, Americans
living in this country, right, now, how what are the
(35:24):
challenges and how are you moving through them?
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest challenges is funding
for our services and programs. You know, the cost to
provide this is is getting more expensive every year, and
right now we do have a funding gap, so you know,
(35:48):
on our development side, on the housing side, we do
have you know, some revenue coming in, but that doesn't
cover everything that we are doing across our communities. And
as I said before, we look for partners and so
we do get a lot of philanthropic support from foundations
(36:09):
through grants, but the focus of those foundations changes from
year to year, so some years were eligible, some years
were not. We have corporate support, but sometimes their budgets
shift from year to year. We do have individual donors,
but there's it's an uncertain time right now, and so
(36:30):
we are looking to expand our fundraising efforts and so
it is it is a real challenge because we want
to not only sustain the programs and services that we
are offering now, but we're also hoping to grow and
as our portfolio grows and we acquire new apartments as
(36:54):
we build them, we're going to need to provide more
services so that has been something weighing heavily on us,
and so there's there's a lot of focus and work
going into inviting new people to learn about HW and
getting them engaged and just generating awareness about HW and
(37:18):
the work that we're doing.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Yeah, and you're in San Diego exclusively or where else
are you?
Speaker 3 (37:25):
So our headquarters is in San Diego, but we have
communities all through California, in Central California and in northern California,
and we've even ventured into Texas. And we have a
lot right now in the pipeline for I would say
(37:46):
a lot for northern California at this time.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
But we, as Lakeisha said too, we.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Are really heavily in San Diego, but we are growing.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
And outside of just the very real Licha put it
on the table as you mentioned, your fund raising and
you all are doing this work and I've seen I've
seen one community in particular in San Marcos, I think
it was, and it's really lovely. It's you know, you're
(38:18):
the way that you all are treating this service that
you're providing is with such dignity and respect and care
and compassion for the folks that are utilizing your services.
How number One of the ways that people can help
is give some money if you have it, if you can.
(38:40):
I know that many companies offer some kind of corporate
gift giving package type thing, and so if you are
in a position to have a company that's offering that
supports their employees through some kind of corporate gift giving
and matching, please speak with them and consider CHW in
(39:03):
your thoughts about where you want to contribute, because it's
an organization that is walking the talk and doing the
work and doing it in a way again that is
really different and unique and helpful to people and to
generations of people. What else can people do? How else
(39:25):
can they help?
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Speaking of those like company relationships, if you work for
a company that hosts lunch and learns, we would love
the opportunity to come and speak to your team and
talk about what we do. Same with if you have
a connection to a community group, we would love the
(39:48):
invitation to come and introduce ourselves and talk about that
impact that we're having. You know, potentially writing your own
community and volunteer.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
We are always looking for volunteers on site to help
with projects like community gardens. We have events throughout the
year that we need help with We have a need
for folks who are interested in helping with resume building,
with helping us lead some financial workshops. So we we
(40:26):
have a lot of different ways to get involved volunteering.
And also it's it's as easy as helping to share
our story to generate awareness. You know, like if you
follow us on social media, repost share, you know that
that that is a great way to help support.
Speaker 5 (40:50):
H W.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
Yeah, and that's an easy thing. It costs a second.
It costs a second to just take something and post
it and share it.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
So remedy some of those challenges that folks are talking
about just not within c HW, but affordable developers as
a whole. I think Community Housing Works we're doing a
really good job with identifying those areas that need assistance,
identifying spaces where we could really build upon and house folks.
(41:24):
I talk to people all the time and they're asking
about affordable housing. We actually have a lot of waiting lists,
so folks are they want to sign up, but you
know the waiting list is some are closed, some are
non existent. So I think the work that Community Housing
(41:45):
Works is doing is really building more not only in
San Diego, but within you know, California, Los Angeles, Fresno,
all those different places.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
And I know that you talk. There's a little bit
of the world that you all are doing that is
around the different policies that you're working within. What kind
of policy changes are you working to get resolved or repaired.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Yeah, so we have One of the things that we
do really well is connect our residents to housing advocacy groups,
and one group in particular, we're really training residents how
to speak up, for example, in the Sacramento about housing
(42:37):
bills and housing policies that may affect not only affordable
housing but folks that are facing eviction and homelessness and
different things like that. So we do a lot of
work around advocacy in a way that we're empowering residents
and letting them know like, hey, you know, you also
(42:58):
can speak about this and this is how you can
get there. We have a success story where one of
our residents actually ran for office. They didn't make it,
but they're still you know, in the community. They're still
in the community sharing their story and you know, bringing
others along with that lived experience, and they travel to Sacramento,
(43:23):
they attend policy meetings, they go to city council meetings
as well. So a lot of the policies that we're
working with residents is really connecting them to other advocacy
groups to really make that difference and make that change
within their community.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Right, So, is there any kind of last word that
anyone else has to help people to understand what you're
doing and to understand what's really at stake here and
how they can help.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
I think it's important for people to understand that affordable
housing is for families, for for people who who are working,
who are you know, working multiple jobs, who are who
are trying to keep up with the with the rising
(44:21):
cost of rents throughout California. You know, it's people who
who are who are trying to to make it. It's
you know, and and I think that a lot of
people don't understand that they don't understand who our residents are.
They can be anybody, they could be you know, former lawyers,
(44:42):
they could they it's anybody. And and you know, the
work that we are doing, which has been said multiple times,
is not just providing them with the opportunity to have
a stable home. It's so much more, you know, providing
them the resources that they need to not just survive,
(45:05):
but to thrive.
Speaker 6 (45:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
So, I just I think that it is important for
people to understand that hw IS is working to you know,
to provide these important tools to people.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
I commend you all under the leadership of Sean Spear,
who I'll throw in there, I commend you for doing
this great work. You know, anyone who is on the
social media platforms or anywhere else there This conversation about wages,
(45:43):
about costs, housing and living costs, outrunning wages is something
that if you tune in for two seconds to any
conversation anywhere, it is a problem that we're having in
this country. It's a problem that we're having in California
as well, and it is something that we have to
(46:07):
find ways to resolve. We have to find ways to resolve.
There was a time where a person could get out
of their home and go to school and leave, you know,
graduate from college and make enough money, you know, find
a job to make enough that would pay them enough
(46:27):
money to be able to cover their rent. That is
not happening at the level that it was happening before.
This is a very real problem. This is not about
feeling sorry for people who are not working or people
who are not wanting to contribute. This is a group
of people and an organization that has decided to not
(46:51):
just talk about a problem that we have in this
in this country, but to actually put their you know,
put their foot on the pedal, to actally drive change,
to change things, to help these people first of all,
and to help these families, and to also do their
part to contribute. So we need more of this. We
(47:14):
need to resolve the overarching problem of the gap for sure.
And while we're doing that, there are human beings who
are needing the support. And so I commend you all
for doing this work. Community Housing Works, thank you so
much for doing it. We will include some kind of
(47:35):
fundraising opportunity thing for those folks who want to contribute.
I encourage you to go to the CHW website. What
is the url? Can someone share that with me?
Speaker 2 (47:48):
The website is www dot cchworks dot org. Okay, And
another way that people could get involved if they are
if they so choose. We have our annual fundraising gala
on Thursday, September twenty fifth, and we have information on
(48:11):
our website about sponsoring, purchasing a ticket or donating auction
items to that event. As well, all proceeds will support
the programs that we talked about today.
Speaker 4 (48:23):
Yeah, so we'll put that information also into the show notes.
Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do
something a little bit different than I usually do on
this show, and thank you for allowing me the gift
and the honor of using this platform to share the
story of this organization and this incredible work that you're doing.
(48:47):
It's appreciated, and you know, just thank
Speaker 3 (48:53):
You, thank you so much, thank you, thank you for
inviting us f
We do a lot of work around advocacy in a
way that we're empowering residents and letting them know you
also can speak about this and this is how you
can get there.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I feel like we're helping people not just within the
small apartment community, but then how those people are affecting
change in their water community.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Is not just providing them with the opportunity to have
a stable home. It's so much more, you know, providing
them the resources that they need to not just survive,
but to thrive.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom Podcast, where we dive into
conversations that inspire personal growth, transformation and clarity and challenging times.
I'm your host, Lysan Bosquiat. Today's conversation is about home,
but not just four walls and a roof. This is
about dignity, stability, and the ability to shape a life
(01:06):
with freedom and choice. I'm joined today by three powerful women,
Alexis Rodriguez, Shannon Morrison, and Lakeisha Shiwomi, who are each
playing a key role in transforming lives through their work
at Community Housing Works, a San Diego based organization that
has been creating affordable housing and supportive services for over
(01:29):
thirty five years. Their mission is more than buildings, though
it's about legacy, It's about disrupting cycles of poverty, supporting
family systems, and restoring hope where housing and security has
taken its toll. Whether they're working directly with residents, advocating
for policy change, or designing community programs that support everything
(01:53):
from financial literacy to wellness, these women are reimagining what
home can be. This episode is for anyone who believes
that where and how we live shapes who we become.
It's for those of us who want to understand the
real stories behind the housing crisis and the real solutions
being built from the ground up. Alexis, Shannon, and Lakeisha,
(02:16):
Welcome to Shaping Freedom podcast. I really appreciate you being here,
and I wanted to say that this is the first
time that I've invited a nonprofit to have a conversation
with me on this podcast, and I've chosen to do
(02:40):
so because I know and have born witness to the
incredible work that the Community Housing Works team is doing
in San Diego and the few other places in the
country where you're doing this work, and I thought that
it would be some thing wonderful to share with the
(03:02):
Shaping Freedom Podcast listener community as a way of really
bringing attention to this work that you all are doing
and to bring attention to a different way of handling
the housing crisis, which is what you all have teamed
up to do. And so this is a slightly different
(03:24):
conversation that we're going to have today, but we're still
going to get into the meat of what it is
that you're all doing and how an ordinary group of
human beings have come together to do this extraordinary work.
And so the overarching question for this episode is what
does it truly take to create not just affordable housing,
(03:48):
but a foundation for generational freedom, dignity, and opportunity, which
is exactly what you all are doing. So before we
get into it, or as we get into it, first
of all, I want to thank you all for coming.
Welcome you all, Thank.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
You, thank you.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah, we appreciate you inviting us to this wonderful opportunity.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah for sure. And before we get into talking about
community housing works, i'd love to hear a little bit
about each of your kind of like your origin, your
professional origin story, Like what is it that led each
one of you to do to have the motivation to
(04:35):
do the work that you're doing to support community housing
works and such an incredible cause.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I grew up in a somewhat I guess rough neighborhood
in LA and I was one of the first ones
in my family to graduate college, except for my grandma,
who actually went back to college after her kids we
were fully raised and she became a teacher. She was
(05:04):
my inspiration. But I I really saw firsthand a lot
of the challenges that that my my family, my friends
families experienced with opportunity, with opportunity to.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Two explore.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Different different experiences to with going to college, with leaving
where they grew up. And so when I was younger,
my parents really try to get me involved with or
kept me involved with sports, and I played travel softball,
(05:55):
and through that experience, I was able to visit new places,
new cities outside of what I knew, and that brought
in my perspective, that brought in a lot of of
what I was used to. So I think I take
(06:17):
all of that with me professionally and that is what
fuels my passion to be in the nonprofit sector. I
I love being able to do work that makes an impact,
and with community housing Works with HW, I feel like
I am able to bring my personal experience to the
(06:40):
work that I'm doing to help empower those families to
you know, to build better futures.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
So that's wonderful a little of where I'm coming from.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Yeah, and how did you wind up? Well, first of all,
what do you do for HW? And how did you
wind up there?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So I am the VP of Philanthropy and Community Engagement
for HW. So what I do, what my team does
is we focus on all of the philanthropic efforts and
do the fundraising to support our residence services and programs
(07:21):
that we offer in our HW communities.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
And so I actually.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Started in the nonprofit sector rights out a little after
I graduated from San Diego State. My grandma was diagnosed
with Alzheimer's and I volunteered at the Alzheimer's Association of
San Diego And so I was doing that for a
bit and a job opened up to help them with
(07:51):
their memory walk, with their five K walk, and I
started working with that organization, loved it. I started working
with volunteers, and that I think is what really helped
me fall in love with the nonprofit sector. I think
that volunteers are the key to nonprofits and so I
(08:13):
got a chance to work with so many people who
were giving of their time to do so many great things.
And since then, I've been in the nonprofit sector. You know,
I've had a few different positions before this, but it
started with volunteers and then I love building relationships and
(08:34):
so I easily transitioned into fundraising and I've been in
fundraising for nonprofits ever since.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Oh, it's wonderful. Thank you.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
Yeah, Shannon.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
All right, So my name is Shannon Morrison. I'm the
associate director of Resource Development and Operations at Community Housing Works.
I am part of Alexis's team there, so, like she shared,
we are focused on philanthropy and fund raising. And I
started my career in fundraising in college. I got an
(09:05):
internship at an art museum on my college's campus, and
I really felt like this was tapping into my natural
skill sets. A little bit of event planning, a lot
of relationship building, and really just looking for where is
that mutually beneficial place that we can come to that
(09:29):
will support you know, my organization and this person i'm
speaking with or a company.
Speaker 6 (09:36):
A lot of my.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Focus has been on corporate relationships, and so I was
recruited to Community Housing Works about six and a half
years ago, and I actually had not heard of Community
Housing Works. I am a fourth generation Sandyegan, so this
is my home.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
And I was so.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Like inspired when I learned about Community Housing Works when
I took that first meeting to really learn what CHW does,
and it came at a time when I felt like
a lot of people that I knew from high school
were moving away from San Diego because they couldn't afford
to live here, and so it felt very important to
me in terms of, you know, if someone considers this
(10:23):
their home, I think it's so important for them to
be able to stay and to be able to have
a place where they can thrive. And what has kept
me at HW for six years is just that connection
to the mission. I feel like every year I get
a chance to meet new people who live in CHW homes,
(10:43):
who are doing amazing things with their lives after having
overcome something and just hearing what an impact a stable
home has made for them, where they're able to make
that kind of shift in their mindset to moving to
thinking about not just where am I sleeping today, how
am I going to pay rent this month, but finally
(11:05):
being able to make that shift to what do I
want to do with my life? What can I do next?
Where can I learn? Where can I grow?
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, it's like moving out of survival mode.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Is what I find so interesting and so compelling about
what you are, what you all are doing. It's helping
people to step out of having to survive into the
stability and what can come when you have stability.
Speaker 6 (11:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Lakeisha, Hi, my name is Lakeisha and I'm the director
of Residence Services and Programs here at Community Housing Works.
I have been with the organization for nearly five years.
And what drew me to Community House and Works is
that my background is public health, and I just remember
(11:58):
being at evin and different community advocacy gatherings and rallies
and folks really wanting to make a difference in their
community and they would actually advocate for housing.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Over anything else.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I just remember being at an event once where community
members they came to my booth and I was at
that time, I was teaching about healthy eating as well
as the importance of physical activity, and they didn't want
any part of that. They wanted me to help them
find somewhere to live. And so with my background with
(12:38):
public health as well as a community outreach THCHW has
really been a place for me to reach out to
those that are looking for resources that may not always
find them in the community. I spend a lot of
time in the community, not only with residents but also
with other partners, really bringing those resources and different levels
(13:03):
of expertise within our portfolios to really serve our residents.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Thank you. So I learned about HW through a friend,
Sean Spear, who also is the president and CEO of HW,
and I was fascinated, fascinated to hear about this very
unique way of responding to the housing crisis. So for
(13:35):
those who are like, Okay, what are we doing? Can
somebody tell me what CHW is? What do you who
are you all and what do you do?
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So CHW we actually started back in nineteen eighty eight
and we were founded from a group of social justice advocates,
some city leaders who all shared a goal of creating
(14:05):
affordable housing, affordable homes for for people who need it,
for families. And what's really cool is that we our
first community, Las Casitas, which is in Escondido, is a
community that HW still still manages and operates, and so
you know, we were We were really formed out of
(14:27):
the need, the need for the urgent need.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
For affordable housing.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
And so what we do is we provide that we
provide the brick and mortar apartment buildings, but that's just
the beginning of the mission, you know. We we go
beyond that and also offer residence services and programs that
(14:56):
are what we call our three pillars, that cover our
three pillars. So we provide resources and tools that help
people with financial well being, with health and wellness, and
something we call Next Generation Success, which focuses on education
(15:17):
and career pathways. So that's that's really what we do.
So we are developer and service provider for residents and
we are right now in fifty two fifty three communities
across California and Texas, serving more than twelve thousand residents Lakeisha.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Twelve thousand plus. And it's funny because we always kind
of go back and forth, like are we at eleven
thousand or twelve, but we recently went over that twelve thousand,
that twelve thousand mark, so it.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Is great, congratulations, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
A big part of our mission is that opportunity begins
with a stable home. So like Alexis was sharing that
apartment that we provide. We really do see us just
the beginning and like we were sharing. Once people have
that stability and safety, we support them with those programs
to help them, you know, dream about the future and
(16:23):
what could.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Connect Tell me a little bit anyone can answer, like
how you're doing that, So talk a little bit. I
know you mentioned briefly the programs, but I fear that
(16:45):
that's being missed because it's such a unique and interesting
way of providing housing. Can someone explain a little bit
more about the programs? What does that mean? So we
know you're providing the homes, they're affordable homes, but what
(17:06):
is unique about the value proposition that you're providing to
your residence.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
One of the reasons that CHW stands out so much
is because of the services that we provide for our residents.
Within those services are also programs, so residents they could
get everything that they need within their community. Under the
three pillars of residence services that we have, we're addressing
(17:37):
youth development, educational opportunities.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
We have career pathways.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
So that we're opening doors and really exposing residents to
different trades, different routes to have a successful life. We
also have our after school program as well, so we're
we're creating a pipeline for our kids to really succeed
(18:04):
in life. Under the Next Generation Success pillar, the goal
of that is really to make sure that residents when
they're on site, they could receive support services that they
may not have opportunities to or access to on the
outside of our communities. Another pillar that we have is
(18:25):
financial Wellbeing, and with this pillar, we're really building residents
in the area of their finances. Now, some folks finances
are really personal. Sometimes people you know, they have this,
they have thoughts around finances, and our team we're really
able to come in and help them. So we're able
(18:48):
to go in and build that rapport, build that trust
with residents. So we're teaching them how to budget, We're
teaching them how to save their money, how to improve
their credit score, so they're getting all those services right
there within the confines of the community. And our last pillar,
(19:08):
which is our Health and Wellness pillar, we're able to
really make an impact and address food and security. One
of the programs under that pillar that we are really
excited about and proud of is our Senior food Box delivery,
So we have staff that actually deliver food boxes for
(19:30):
seniors right at their doorsteps. Seniors don't have to walk
very far, they don't have to drive across town or
drive to another city. What they have is right there
in that box. So with these three pillars, it's really
you know, we have been able to really show that
(19:51):
there's an impact because all those services are interconnected.
Speaker 5 (19:56):
You can have one without the other.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
And so as we look at those type of wrap
around services and what we're really able to help the
residents live a really, really productive and successful life.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
We really are proud.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Of those pillars because you know, residents they're able to
get supported right where they're at.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, yeah, you should be proud of it, because again,
there's one thing to offer a space. It may have
been shown if not it was one of you, but
someone I heard someone on your team say that your
part of your mission was to make this the last
affordable housing situation within UH, within a family's legacy, and
(20:47):
I thought that was very It's ambitious and also what
I really appreciate about it is that it's really about
helping those in individuals to know what they can do
so that they can be out of the affordable housing
(21:09):
kind of lane, which which is really how you build
lasting impact. It's really how you take this incredible work
that you're all doing and allow people to practically apply
it to their lives. You know, we did a quick
(21:29):
like lunch and learn at Harrow Hub Carlsbad a few
weeks ago, and you brought with you brought along a
couple of people who would actually who actually live within
your community and who have experienced the benefits of it,
and which is really wonderful to hear about the really
positive impact upon the lives of that particular student who
(21:52):
was in the room where you know, not having to
worry about where you're going to live means that you
have more time, energy and your parents have more time,
energy and emotional bandwidth to be able to support you
through the different road maps that we set out to
(22:13):
in doing this work. So what about this work thrills
you on a day to day basis? Like what feels
good about this work that you're doing? And I'd also
love to hear about some of the challenges that you're encountering.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I mean, what comes to my mind when you say
that is we just celebrated our valor scholars on Saturday,
we had a celebration to celebrate fifty residence scholars that
are pursuing continuing education and CHW invests in them by
awarding them a thousand dollars scholarship to support their education journey.
(22:50):
And it's so wonderful to get to meet these individuals
and hear what their dreams are and what they are pursuing.
The young man who spoke at the event is first
generation Collins student and he is headed off to Stanford
in fall, and he was just talking about how much
(23:12):
he wants to help people because of the help that
he's received through CHW and through the programs that we offer.
And I just love to be able to hear that
and to kind of see that ripple effect, you know.
We I feel like we're helping people not just within
the small apartment community, but then how those people are
(23:36):
affecting change in their broader community is something that really
motivates me and inspires me.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yeah, because when you're treated with compassion, you wind up.
It helps you to be a more compassionate person in
the world, you know, And what about for your other ladies.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I would say Valor is one of one of the
best events we have and it's so great to see
all of our our scholarship recipients and hear what they're doing.
But another thing that excites me is what we're doing
with our older adults programs. Earlier actually in December, we
(24:16):
were able to open up our first computer lab and
one of our one of our h W senior apartments
through partnership with with one of our local corporate partners.
And it was really amazing to see the excitement around this,
(24:41):
you know, and and the work that we were able
to do to help bridge the digital divide that that
seniors are facing. And along with that we just didn't
open up the computer lab. That also came with fight
with digital literacy workshops and coaching to to help uh
(25:02):
those older adults learn how to use the computers. And
I think that is really important. It's important work and
and you know it it helps too to expose them
to to new things, which is which is great.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Yeah, Okasha, So this work is very motivating invigorating from
me personally.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
We have one of the examples that I could share
is that we have a resident that's involved in one
of our programs called the Resident Leadership Academy, and it
was really his way in others way as well, to
not only do work within the community, but also the
(25:53):
surrounding communities as well. And he worked on a project
to work with Public Transportation and some of our other
partners like Circulate San Diego to make modifications to the
traffic lights. There were a lot of uneven sidewalks, bumpy streets,
(26:15):
and he was able to actually present at one of
the city council meetings. And so that type of work,
that advocacy and what it takes to really speak upon
those problems, that really motivates me to continue to provide
the services, provide the roadmap to having a really successful life.
(26:35):
Because you know, that resident in particular, and many other residents,
I feel like we get the opportunity to give them
a voice that they may not ever recognize or known.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
That they've had before.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
And so when I think about just that situation, there
are other opportunities for us to create those leaders from
within because we're impacting the lives of residents where they're
being committed to civic service, you know, outreach them, reaching
out to the mayor of the city and other political
(27:13):
figures to really see those changes within the community. And
that just doesn't happen by happenstance. It's intentional work, it's partnerships,
it's collaboration. It's really building residents to speak to to.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
Do things that they've never done before.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And so when I think of that part, that side
of my job and that side of my work, it's
really inspiring, you know, and we are we're seeing a different.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Generation even come behind, you.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Know, those forerunners, those that may have gone before us.
And to be able to really help them and pull
them up and encourage them, it's really a great thing.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
And then I'm excited about that part of the job.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
That's wonderful. Before we move into I'd love to know
about some of the collaborations that you have and the
kind of partnerships that you're looking for. I did want
to just mention one thing that no one mentioned yet,
and that is that another unique aspect of this nonprofit's
work is that you set up this affordable housing in
(28:26):
right in great neighborhoods, so you can someone speak to that.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I can speak to some of the partnerships that we have.
So within our portfolio, we have a lot of communities
that require special attention, and so with those partnerships, we
really bring folks on that can address that level of
expertise that we need within our portfolio. On the other
(28:53):
side of that, we work with other nonprofits that provide food,
for example, the San Diego Food Bank, and with that partnership,
they're able to provide free food for our residents. We
also work with after school programs like the Boys and
Girls Club to support our after school programs. So these
(29:18):
partnerships they are they are really they really help us
meet a need that we may not meet alone. Right,
It takes a community, and so with us, we're able
to really reach out and get that support that we
need to serve our residents in the areas that they need.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
And what kind of partnerships are you all looking for?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
We are looking for partnerships that could help us with
funding a lot. So we look to partner with companies
who can provide maybe sponsors ships to help us provide
the services and programs across our communities. We're also looking
(30:07):
for partnerships with other local nonprofits and organizations who are
doing similar work because you know, I think that together,
if we can collaborate, we can make a larger impact
than on our own. So we are open to working
with other local organizations like.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
That incredible and then can someone speak to again. One
of the things that I think is why do you
choose to have these developments within any neighborhood USA, like
any neighborhood in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
So we do have an acquisitions team as a part
of our housing and real estate development team, and they
are always on the lookout for any kind of opportunities
that are out there for our community.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
And different.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Parcels have different requirements, but something that they're always looking
for is being able to put a HW community in
what you're talking about, Luzanne, we call a high resource area,
and so it is so amazing to be able to
offer that to residents. You know, our team is always
(31:26):
looking for close to public transportation, close to libraries, close
to grocery stores, because a lot of residents come to
us not having their own car, and so that is
something that's important when they're kind of looking to tick
all the boxes of what are.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
We looking for.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
The beauty about the work that we do here at
Community House and Works is that we're all over San Diego.
I mean, we cover just about every region and within
those regions, we're also able to get the support that
we need from external partners, external donors, and different stakeholders
(32:09):
as well.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
And I know you have had some experience with our
Carlsbad community, but another community that comes to my mind
is in Poway and we had a resident come to
one of our events this year who he's a recent
college graduate, but he spoke about his time in high
school and being in that community in Powway and how
(32:33):
that exposure to a higher resourced community really changed his
like his trajectory. His friends in high school had parents
who had careers he had never thought of, and it
just they were able to be a resource for him
for applying to college and things that he just did
(32:56):
not know or was not aware of growing up low
income before moving to that community.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
I think that that's part of the value proposition, is
that when you are in that situation, and people get
into that situation a variety of ways, and the truth
of the matter is is that wages are not matching
housing and living costs. They just are not. And so
what that means is that there are people who wind
(33:23):
up really struggling within that reality that very real challenge
and mismatch here in the world. And so having the
ability to feel that even in those circumstances, or while
in those circumstances, that you don't have to be completely
isolated into where you have the ability to actually be
(33:48):
around like you mentioned high resource areas, where the benefits
of that are that you get to interact with people
who can help you to and help your family to
move out of those circumstances into a better place. Is
part of it, right, It's kind of like some of
those benefits that may not be present right off the bat,
(34:14):
but it's part of the impact of really helping families
to move out of that situation. So what kind of
challenges are you all facing? And again, you know, this
(34:37):
is like I said, great, great work. Those who are listening,
I encourage you to look up Community Housing Works HW
to see what they're doing and to see what they're
up to, and to consider how you might be able
to help or contribute or partner in whatever way UH
(35:01):
is mutually beneficial. But what are some of the challenges
Because this is feel good work and all of that,
but again, it's you're meeting a need. You're meeting a
very very real need that impacts human beings, families, Americans
living in this country, right, now, how what are the
(35:24):
challenges and how are you moving through them?
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest challenges is funding
for our services and programs. You know, the cost to
provide this is is getting more expensive every year, and
right now we do have a funding gap, so you know,
(35:48):
on our development side, on the housing side, we do
have you know, some revenue coming in, but that doesn't
cover everything that we are doing across our communities. And
as I said before, we look for partners and so
we do get a lot of philanthropic support from foundations
(36:09):
through grants, but the focus of those foundations changes from
year to year, so some years were eligible, some years
were not. We have corporate support, but sometimes their budgets
shift from year to year. We do have individual donors,
but there's it's an uncertain time right now, and so
(36:30):
we are looking to expand our fundraising efforts and so
it is it is a real challenge because we want
to not only sustain the programs and services that we
are offering now, but we're also hoping to grow and
as our portfolio grows and we acquire new apartments as
(36:54):
we build them, we're going to need to provide more
services so that has been something weighing heavily on us,
and so there's there's a lot of focus and work
going into inviting new people to learn about HW and
getting them engaged and just generating awareness about HW and
(37:18):
the work that we're doing.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Yeah, and you're in San Diego exclusively or where else
are you?
Speaker 3 (37:25):
So our headquarters is in San Diego, but we have
communities all through California, in Central California and in northern California,
and we've even ventured into Texas. And we have a
lot right now in the pipeline for I would say
(37:46):
a lot for northern California at this time.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
But we, as Lakeisha said too, we.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Are really heavily in San Diego, but we are growing.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
And outside of just the very real Licha put it
on the table as you mentioned, your fund raising and
you all are doing this work and I've seen I've
seen one community in particular in San Marcos, I think
it was, and it's really lovely. It's you know, you're
(38:18):
the way that you all are treating this service that
you're providing is with such dignity and respect and care
and compassion for the folks that are utilizing your services.
How number One of the ways that people can help
is give some money if you have it, if you can.
(38:40):
I know that many companies offer some kind of corporate
gift giving package type thing, and so if you are
in a position to have a company that's offering that
supports their employees through some kind of corporate gift giving
and matching, please speak with them and consider CHW in
(39:03):
your thoughts about where you want to contribute, because it's
an organization that is walking the talk and doing the
work and doing it in a way again that is
really different and unique and helpful to people and to
generations of people. What else can people do? How else
(39:25):
can they help?
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Speaking of those like company relationships, if you work for
a company that hosts lunch and learns, we would love
the opportunity to come and speak to your team and
talk about what we do. Same with if you have
a connection to a community group, we would love the
(39:48):
invitation to come and introduce ourselves and talk about that
impact that we're having. You know, potentially writing your own
community and volunteer.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
We are always looking for volunteers on site to help
with projects like community gardens. We have events throughout the
year that we need help with We have a need
for folks who are interested in helping with resume building,
with helping us lead some financial workshops. So we we
(40:26):
have a lot of different ways to get involved volunteering.
And also it's it's as easy as helping to share
our story to generate awareness. You know, like if you
follow us on social media, repost share, you know that
that that is a great way to help support.
Speaker 5 (40:50):
H W.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
Yeah, and that's an easy thing. It costs a second.
It costs a second to just take something and post
it and share it.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
So remedy some of those challenges that folks are talking
about just not within c HW, but affordable developers as
a whole. I think Community Housing Works we're doing a
really good job with identifying those areas that need assistance,
identifying spaces where we could really build upon and house folks.
(41:24):
I talk to people all the time and they're asking
about affordable housing. We actually have a lot of waiting lists,
so folks are they want to sign up, but you
know the waiting list is some are closed, some are
non existent. So I think the work that Community Housing
(41:45):
Works is doing is really building more not only in
San Diego, but within you know, California, Los Angeles, Fresno,
all those different places.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
And I know that you talk. There's a little bit
of the world that you all are doing that is
around the different policies that you're working within. What kind
of policy changes are you working to get resolved or repaired.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Yeah, so we have One of the things that we
do really well is connect our residents to housing advocacy groups,
and one group in particular, we're really training residents how
to speak up, for example, in the Sacramento about housing
(42:37):
bills and housing policies that may affect not only affordable
housing but folks that are facing eviction and homelessness and
different things like that. So we do a lot of
work around advocacy in a way that we're empowering residents
and letting them know like, hey, you know, you also
(42:58):
can speak about this and this is how you can
get there. We have a success story where one of
our residents actually ran for office. They didn't make it,
but they're still you know, in the community. They're still
in the community sharing their story and you know, bringing
others along with that lived experience, and they travel to Sacramento,
(43:23):
they attend policy meetings, they go to city council meetings
as well. So a lot of the policies that we're
working with residents is really connecting them to other advocacy
groups to really make that difference and make that change
within their community.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Right, So, is there any kind of last word that
anyone else has to help people to understand what you're
doing and to understand what's really at stake here and
how they can help.
Speaker 3 (43:59):
I think it's important for people to understand that affordable
housing is for families, for for people who who are working,
who are you know, working multiple jobs, who are who
are trying to keep up with the with the rising
(44:21):
cost of rents throughout California. You know, it's people who
who are who are trying to to make it. It's
you know, and and I think that a lot of
people don't understand that they don't understand who our residents are.
They can be anybody, they could be you know, former lawyers,
(44:42):
they could they it's anybody. And and you know, the
work that we are doing, which has been said multiple times,
is not just providing them with the opportunity to have
a stable home. It's so much more, you know, providing
them the resources that they need to not just survive,
(45:05):
but to thrive.
Speaker 6 (45:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
So, I just I think that it is important for
people to understand that hw IS is working to you know,
to provide these important tools to people.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
I commend you all under the leadership of Sean Spear,
who I'll throw in there, I commend you for doing
this great work. You know, anyone who is on the
social media platforms or anywhere else there This conversation about wages,
(45:43):
about costs, housing and living costs, outrunning wages is something
that if you tune in for two seconds to any
conversation anywhere, it is a problem that we're having in
this country. It's a problem that we're having in California
as well, and it is something that we have to
(46:07):
find ways to resolve. We have to find ways to resolve.
There was a time where a person could get out
of their home and go to school and leave, you know,
graduate from college and make enough money, you know, find
a job to make enough that would pay them enough
(46:27):
money to be able to cover their rent. That is
not happening at the level that it was happening before.
This is a very real problem. This is not about
feeling sorry for people who are not working or people
who are not wanting to contribute. This is a group
of people and an organization that has decided to not
(46:51):
just talk about a problem that we have in this
in this country, but to actually put their you know,
put their foot on the pedal, to actally drive change,
to change things, to help these people first of all,
and to help these families, and to also do their
part to contribute. So we need more of this. We
(47:14):
need to resolve the overarching problem of the gap for sure.
And while we're doing that, there are human beings who
are needing the support. And so I commend you all
for doing this work. Community Housing Works, thank you so
much for doing it. We will include some kind of
(47:35):
fundraising opportunity thing for those folks who want to contribute.
I encourage you to go to the CHW website. What
is the url? Can someone share that with me?
Speaker 2 (47:48):
The website is www dot cchworks dot org. Okay, And
another way that people could get involved if they are
if they so choose. We have our annual fundraising gala
on Thursday, September twenty fifth, and we have information on
(48:11):
our website about sponsoring, purchasing a ticket or donating auction
items to that event. As well, all proceeds will support
the programs that we talked about today.
Speaker 4 (48:23):
Yeah, so we'll put that information also into the show notes.
Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do
something a little bit different than I usually do on
this show, and thank you for allowing me the gift
and the honor of using this platform to share the
story of this organization and this incredible work that you're doing.
(48:47):
It's appreciated, and you know, just thank
Speaker 3 (48:53):
You, thank you so much, thank you, thank you for
inviting us f
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.