|
 The
Community Housing Council of Fresno will recognize University HOPE
(Housing Opportunities through Education), a student, faculty and staff
organization at California State University, Fresno, on Thursday, May 24
as the 2007 Organization of the Year.
The Fresno State affiliated program was nominated by long-time community
partner Tina Sumner, the director of the Clovis Community Development
Agency. The award will be presented at the Champions of Homeownership
awards dinner.
Established in 1994, University HOPE has completed eight houses and is
scheduled to complete its ninth in a few weeks.
“Our purpose is to build hope in the community by constructing new homes
for low-income, first-time homeowners, and to rehabilitate existing
homes of needy families, helping to improve neighborhoods,” said Chris
Fiorentino, who chairs the organization’s board and is director of
Fresno State’s Office of Civic Engagement and Service-Learning. “We also
hope to capture the imagination, energy and commitment of students,
faculty and staff to productively and responsibly involve them in the
work of providing adequate housing for families in need.”
The city of Clovis provides the housing lots, which are in older
neighborhoods, and money for materials. University HOPE supplies the
construction expertise and the labor to build the houses.
A completed house is sold to a family who was interviewed and selected
by a committee composed of HOPE volunteers. Second-mortgage funds are
also provided by the city to ensure that the family can afford their new
home.
“Constructing a new house in these older neighborhoods has not only
increased the supply of affordable housing for first-time homebuyers,
but has also improved the quality of the neighborhoods as a whole,”
Fiorentino said.
Along with Clovis Community Development Agency, the Rotary Club of
Clovis and Granville Homes are principal partners with University HOPE.
Related link:
http://hope.atinet.org |
