University HOPE (Housing OPportunities through Education) will hold a “wall-raising” ceremony Saturday, Oct. 20, to mark the construction of its 10th affordable home for a low-income family
Beginning at 8 a.m., volunteers from California State University, Fresno and University HOPE will start their work at 1385 Fourth St., near Sunnyside Avenue in Clovis. Representatives from University HOPE will be on site to discuss the program and how the community can help.
The mission of University HOPE is to “build hope in our community, one home at a time.” In the spirit of this mission, the houses serve not only as places for families to call home, but they also improve existing neighborhoods. The construction process also provides hands-on learning experiences for student, faculty and staff volunteers from Fresno State.
Working with Granville Homes and the City of Clovis Community Development Agency, University HOPE volunteers build a home on a donated in-fill lot. The city of Clovis provides a list of qualified families and University HOPE selects the new homeowners. Each family puts in a minimum of 250 “sweat-equity” hours in the construction of the house. The year-long process wraps up with a housewarming celebration, during which the selected family receives the keys to their new home.
University HOPE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing one affordable home each academic year for, low-income, first-time homeowners. Since 1992, University HOPE has built nine homes and completed several rehabilitation projects on existing homes for young families and disabled senior citizens.
Earlier this year, University HOPE was named the 2007 Organization of the Year by the Community Housing Council of Fresno. An all-volunteer organization, University HOPE’s work is supervised and coordinated by a board of directors.
For more information or to volunteer with University HOPE, contact Ryan Dion at 559.224.9052 or dion_101@hotmail.com.
