FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Santa Barbara County, CA, June 27, 2022 – People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH) has received a generous grant award of $7,723 from the City of Carpinteria through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This funding will benefit PSHH’s education program, Camino Scholars, hosted onsite at Dahlia Court Apartments in Carpinteria.
Camino Scholars, PSHH’s nationally recognized education program, has been serving hundreds of students this past year in an in-person format with a hybrid learning curriculum option. During this time, students have shown marked gains in their reading skills and advancements in math – in some cases, improving by over 60%. Students have benefitted from small learning cohorts, supported by in-person instruction personalized to their individual needs, at specially developed Academic Support Centers.
“Thank you to the City of Carpinteria and their commitment to serving local students,” said Joanna Dominguez, Director of Education. “With this gift, the Camino Scholars program will continue to provide students of all ages with the tools and resources to not only reach higher education, but to thrive in it.”
Camino Scholars serves over 500 students per year at its eleven onsite learning centers. As evidenced by standardized test scores, the curriculum significantly improves math and literacy skills and accompanies students on the path of lifelong learning. The program also helps prepare high school and university students with specialized tutoring, college application assistance, financial aid navigation, career exploration workshops, university campus visits, and mentorship.
The CDBG Program supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities. To support community development, activities are identified through an ongoing process. Activities may address needs such as infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, homeowner assistance, and more. The funds are awarded through municipalities and counties across the state of California.
To learn more about People’s Self-Help Housing and Camino Scholars visit pshhc.org.
About People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH)
With nearly 1,000 units of new housing in its pipeline and founded in 1970, PSHH is the longest-serving nonprofit affordable housing organization on the Central Coast. Our mission of building homes and providing services to strengthen communities and change lives, sees us serving low-income households, families, farmworkers, seniors, and veterans. We also provide welcoming environments for those living with disabilities, youth transitioning out of foster care, and the formerly homeless. Homeownership opportunities through a self-help, “sweat-equity” program have created over 1,200 homes and with a presence in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Monterey counties, PSHH manages over 2,000 rental units, and employs over 200 members of staff. PSHH acknowledges the indigenous people of the territories that our organization occupies, including the Chumash, Salinan, Yokuts, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam people. To read the full land acknowledgement, visit pshhc.org/IDEA. For more information about the organization, visit pshhc.org, email info@pshhc.org or phone (805) 781-3088.
###
Media Contact: communications@pshhc.org, (805) 548-2340
Leave a Response