Inland Empire Job Corps culinary students – Deserie Yescas, Patrick Wolfe and Chef Michael Geurds, culinary instructor at Inland Empire Job Corps deliver their $300 for taking second place in the Route 66 Cook-of to Roosevelt Carroll, director of the San Bernardino Corps’ Hospitality House emergency family shelter (red jacket).
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Just in time for the 2009 holiday season, the San Bernardino Corps of The Salvation Army has received a $300 donation from the Inland Empire Job Corps.
A team of Inland Empire Job Corps culinary students – Deserie Yescas, Patrick Wolfe and Shawn Good – won the $300 for taking second place in the Route 66 Cook-off, sponsored by the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors’ Bureau as part of its 20th annual Route 66 Festival last month.
Winners in the Cook-off were required to donate the prize to their favorite charity. For students at Inland Empire Job Corps, that’s an easy choice. They have been providing community service to The Salvation Army for almost a decade.
“The Salvation Army is the greatest cause,” said Chef Michael Geurds, culinary instructor at Inland Empire Job Corps. “They’re helping the most people.”
Quite often, Inland Empire Job Corps students are among those providing that help. These students have been volunteering at The Salvation Army for at least eight years said Roosevelt Carroll, director of the San Bernardino Corps’ Hospitality House emergency family shelter.
Culinary students bake hundreds of pies for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, which has brought as many as 800 people to The Salvation Army.
Last year, they donated a collection of gingerbread homes they had created from scratch as a class project. Besides being eye-catching, they made a good desert for the shelter residents.
Job Corps students are making plans to continue these traditions, first by donating 300 pies to this year’s Thanksgiving dinner (100 each of apple, cherry and pumpkin). In December, they plan to deliver more gingerbread homes to the shelter.
Inland Empire Job Corps’ service goes beyond donations, Carroll said.
They frequently help with the preparation and serving of meals, and the maintenance of the grounds of The Salvation Army’s buildings. They retiled a bathroom at the old Hospitality House emergency family shelter (which was relocated to its headquarters building in 2007) and at the headquarters building, have painted several rooms.
“They are a joy to work with,” Carroll said.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
(Ontario, Calif.) Inland Empire residents can enjoy a professional sporting event while at the same time helping the American Lung Association in California.
The Inland Empire chapter has partnered with the Ontario Reign to raise money. The Ontario Reign will donate a portion of the proceeds to the chapter for tickets ordered for either the Friday, Oct. 30 home opener or the Saturday, Oct. 31 “Go Green Night” through a special promotion.
“Ontario Reign games are great fun for the whole family, and for that reason, many of us at the American Lung Association in California have been supporting them since their first season last year,” said Terry Roberts, director of the Inland Empire chapter. “Now they’re helping us. By working together, we can have fun and help the Inland Empire to breathe better.”
To receive tickets that are part of the fundraiser, call Gregory R. Mejia at (909) 941-7838. The tickets Mejia is making available will be the regular admission price of $12, but anyone who orders through him will not have to pay a $3 per ticket surcharge that is levied on tickets bought at Citizens’ Business Bank Arena, the home of the Ontario Reign.
The American Lung Association was established in 1904 and was instrumental in its first 52 years in nearly eradicating tuberculosis. In 1956, it expanded its mission to fight all forms of lung disease. In its last five decades, it has also strived to reduce tobacco use and air pollution, both of which are serious threats to lung health.
An example of low income housing in the city of San Bernardino.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) “There are many myths about low in come and affordable housing. Many people think they know what it means but they really don’t,” said Emil Marzullo, interim executive director of the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency.
The truth is the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says that a family of four with a total annual household income between $33,000 to $53,000, which is 50 percent to 80 percent of the Inland Empire area’s median income, is considered low-income.
“That defines a lot of people in the Inland Empire,” Marzullo said.
Here are more definitions. What is the average income of the residents of the City of San Bernardino?
The average annual income of residents in the City of San Bernardino is $28,741. However, this not the income calculation used to determine housing income for federal or state funding or rental purposes. The income used is the Metropolitan Service Area or MSA data. San Bernardino’s area is defined as the Riverside-Ontario-San Bernardino Metropolitan Service Area, where the annual median income for a family of four is $64,500.
So, when the City of San Bernardino talks about low income, it is using the federally defined annual median income for a family of four of $64,500. What are Annual Income and Median Income and how do they work?
Annual income is the total household income for everyone working for one year. The income calculation used to determine housing income for federal or state funding or rental purposes is the Metropolitan Service Area or MSA, created by The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for comparison of income and other reasons.
The Riverside-Ontario-San Bernardino Metropolitan Service Area consists of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Because of higher income, cost of living (including the cost of housing) is higher in some parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Cities with a higher cost of living include: Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Redlands, Upland, Montclair, Chino, Chino Hills, Corona, Menifee and Temecula. What is low-income housing?
Monthly rent or housing payments of up to $1,334 for a family of four qualifies as low-income housing in the Riverside-Ontario-San Bernardino Metropolitan Service Area. What does affordable housing mean?
Affordable Housing” is defined as housing for low to moderate-income households.
Moderate-income households are defined, as households having annual incomes between 80 percent and 120 percent of the Metropolitan Service Area’s median income. For our area that is an annual income of $53,000 to $79,920 for a family of four. Who are low-income households?
A family of four with a total annual household income from $33,000 to $53,000 is considered low-income.
People with low income include: about 30,000 local university and college students, butchers, bakers, executive secretaries, truck drivers, teachers, cashiers, administrative assistants, restaurant servers, hosts, dishwashers, psychiatric aides, house cleaners, telemarketers, file clerks, gaming dealers, bartenders and 347 job categories of skilled, semi-skilled and professional workers.
“Low income people are our friends and neighbors,” said Marzullo.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) “The 19th and Sunrise area has a history of police and code enforcement involvement and is a blighting influence on the surrounding community,” said Emil Marzullo, interim executive director of the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency. A major problem with the area is that it has changed owners over the years. When it was built there was one owner of the 61 multifamily fourplexes. The owner had the resources to maintain the properties in good condition, rent to good people and evict those who were not,” said Marzullo. “About 20 years ago that company sold the multiplexes and now we have many different owners with many different standards for renting,” he added. “Some have no regard for their properties and have allowed them to decline into unlivable conditions. A number of the properties are rented to people who cannot rent anywhere else. Some are forced to pay first class rents of $1,200 or more a month for very poor quality housing.” The redevelopment agency and the San Bernardino City Council have agreed the time is right to immediately stabilize the area of the city adversely affected by this poorly maintained and operated residential housing complex. The agency’s plan is to use a non-profit housing developer to purchase and rehabilitate 100 units of apartments for rent. The agency is purchasing the remaining 46 four-plex buildings, with up to 184 apartments set for demolition. The vacant land will be used to build new single family housing and senior housing in the next few years as the housing market improves. There are currently 244 low-income apartment units within 61 fourplexes and 10 vacant lots at the 19th and Sunrise project area. When complete the 19th Street and Sunrise area will have: • 100 units of rental apartments for families of four that make up to $53,300 a year. • 40 – 55 single family homes for sale to families of four who make up to $77,400 a year. • 65 units of senior apartments for rent to households that make up to $42,650 a year for a family of two. The end result will deliver 205 to 215 units of housing – 144 fewer apartments and 31 to 41 fewer housing units than when the agency started. Agency staff has determined the best method for acquiring, rehabilitating and operating apartments for rent would be through a non-profit company that could perform all of these functions on the agency’s behalf. The agency selected Mary Erickson Community Housing through a competitive application process. Mary Erickson Community Housing is a non-profit agency specializing in housing, with greater capacity than the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency for rehabilitating and professionally managing apartments for low to moderate-income families. Mary Erickson Community Housing was founded in 1991. Its namesake was a retired schoolteacher who was devoted to the principals of community participation and well being. The company established its first affordable housing complex in San Clemente and has since grown to include multiple properties serving hundreds of diverse, hard working, low income families in Southern California including: Moreno Valley, Corona, Loma Linda, Riverside and now San Bernardino. Preventing future multiple owners To make sure the rental apartments can never be sold to multiple owners and create unsafe and unregulated conditions again, as the properties are purchased the deeds will be changed to make them each one parcel. • 15 separate apartment complexes on the north side of 19th Street will become one complete parcel. • 10 fourplexes on the south side of Sunrise Lane will become one complete parcel.
Current and Future Residents Current residents will be asked to apply to live in the newly renovated apartments. Mary Erickson Community Housing will have active on site management, new rental agreements and new rules designed to keep the neighborhood safe and attractive. Mary Erickson Community Housing also provides life skills education to help all residents gain skills to better manage their families and finances. Phase 1 Currently, Mary Erickson Community Housing is purchasing the vacant, foreclosed and boarded up properties in the19th and Sunrise area. Mary Erickson Community Housing has already acquired three properties and expects to begin construction in the coming weeks to rehabilitate those apartments. Phase 1 is complete when the 15 separate apartment complexes on the north side of 19th street and the 10 fourplexes on the south side of Sunrise Lane are acquired and rehabilitated. For its investment with Mary Erickson Community Housing for the apartments, the agency will receive half (50 percent) of any “surplus cash flow” after all operating expenses and debt service payments have been made on each property acquired, rehabilitated and placed into service by Mary Erickson Community Housing. Phase 2 Concurrently, the agency is also purchasing properties in the area bounded by 19th Street to the north, Sunrise Lane to the south, Guthrie to the east and Argyle to the west. These properties will be acquired and demolished. The initial cost to the agency is $1.6 million. Phase 3 When cleared and available the agency will prepare 12 parcels of the land for senior housing and issue a request for proposal to build 65 units of senior apartments. The project will be funded from future agency and developer funds. Phase 4 In the future as housing demand returns the agency will issue a request for proposals to build 40 – 55 single family homes. The project will be funded from future agency and developer funds. The number of homes depends on the lot size for the homes. For more information on this project call the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency at (909) 963-5020 and ask for Sam Hughes.
AAHI Committee members Patricia Green, president of BASIA; unknown community member; Jose Marquez, formerly with the California Endowment; Linda Hart, community member
AAHI Committee members from 2004 left to right: Dr. Robert Fick, representative for the Elks; Kim Carter, president Time for Change; Joyce Fairman, and Carl Dameron, president Dameron Communications with Diane Woods in the back row.
Diane Woods, AAHI president, at AAHI San Bernardino presentation in 2005.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The African American Health Institute of San Bernardino County (AAHI-SBC) will celebrate its last seven years of progress in efforts to reduce health and healthcare disparities in Black communities of the Inland Empire.
The celebration of “Our Past, Present & Future,” takes place in the Henderson Auditorium of San Bernardino Community Hospital, 1800 Western Ave., from 5:30 to 7:30pm., Thursday, October 22. For details call (909) 880-2600 or visit www.AAHI-SBC.org . All are welcomed to attend.
Black churches have had outreach health ministries in the Inland Empire for more than 50 years. Dr. Temetry Lindsey founded the Inland Behavioral Health more than 30 years ago, Dr. V.Diane Woods pointed out. And Gwen Knotts founded Knotts Family Agency shortly after that.
The local branch of the California Black Health Network, in conjunction with the Black newspapers, radio talk shows, and civic organizations, as well as the Inland Empire Black Nurses Association and ethnic physicians of the J W Vines Medical Society have always worked on health issues in the Inland Empire.
More African Americans die from the leading causes of death such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other preventable conditions than any other group. Even African American babies die two to three times more often than other babies.
“Simply put African American males die at an average age of 56, and African American females die at an average age of 62,” said Dr. Woods.
Community leaders who were concerned about this disparity organized the African American Health Initiative in 1998, working with the San Bernardino County Medical Society. In 2003, the Medical Society hired Dr. Woods to head a major countywide planning project for the African American Health Initiative (AAHI).
In 2004, the organization held public forums, conducted surveys, town hall meetings, and one-on-one interviews throughout San Bernardino County; gathering data from more than 1,000 local Black residents investigating why people of African ancestry continue to die much earlier than other ethnic groups; and, to identify what will work to reverse this trend.
“Much has been accomplished since we started the health planning project in 2003,” said Dr. Woods, founding president and CEO of AAHI-SBC. “We are celebrating successful positive milestones in Black community collaboration.”
As a result of the AAHI Planning Project, a comprehensive report was developed in 2004 called Voices of the People: An Afrocentric Plan for Better Health. Nine major recommendations were proposed.
Recommendation #3 was to create a credible collaborative to focus on African American health issues. Afterwards, the African American Health Institute of San Bernardino County (AAHI-SBC) was created and incorporated as a collaborative of concerned stakeholders in January 2006 to combat these issues.
Since then, AAHI-SBC has strongly promoted change in the healthcare system through advocacy, public education, community capacity building, and research.
Since 2006, AAHI-SBC has been awarded more than a million dollars to work on health issues. Two recent awards include the California African American Initiative Statewide: HEROICs from the Department of Managed Care Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA) for $149,600; and the California Department of Mental Health Statewide Reducing Disparity Project for African Americans for $411,000.
“The African American community’s most desperate need is capacity,” Dr. Woods explained. “Capacity means having significant funds, dedicated individuals working full-time on complex, multiple problems and solutions, the ability to respond in a timely manner, and suitable facilities and infrastructure to implement appropriate interventions.
“Tremendous efforts on multiple fronts to improve the health delivery system, individual health, and in changing health policies, must be sustained,” said Dr. Woods. “In this era of national change to improve health and healthcare outcomes, seven years seems like an appointed time to celebrate good things done by our local Blacks in our communities. When we remember where we have come from, and celebrate the progress we have made with our eyes steadfast on the future it brings hope. We need a good dose of hope and encouragement every now and then, it’s good for the heart and spirit of a people.”
About the African American Health Institute of San Bernardino County AAHI-SBC is a community-based resource focused solely on improving health among Americans of African ancestry, the poor and under-represented (URM) ethnic minorities in the Inland Empire. Visit www.AAHI-SBC.org to learn more about what self-help groups and others are doing to improve the condition of Blacks. You will also find the history of AAHI-SBC, an extensive list of partners, and activities underway.
Explore, Discover, Become was the theme of FHA-HERO during the 2008-09 school year. Every year, students who are enrolled in Consumer & Family Studies, a program offered by Home Economics Careers and Technology, have the opportunity to explore possibilities, discover what interests them and become successful in life by learning skills that will help them to excel. If they also become involved in FHA-HERO, the career technical student organization affiliated with Home Economics Careers and Technology, they will have an immediate opportunity to put their newly-learned skills into practice. Photo by Carl Dameron
These young ladies are ready to attend a school formal. This one was put on at the California State Leadership Meeting for their organization, FHA-HERO,which teaches leadership, communication, organization and other skills they’ll need to succeed in the adult world. FHA-HERO is a co-curricular student organization for Home Economics Careers and Technology. Through one of HECT’s programs, Consumer & Family Studies, thousands of California students are learning these skills in an academic environment. Many of them have an immediate opportunity to put them into practice through their involvement in FHA-HERO. Photo by Carl Dameron
(SACRAMENTO Calif.) – It has been said that life brings about the most change between the ages of 16 and 26.
Between those ages, students typically graduate from high school, move from their parents’ home to a dorm or apartment, begin a career, and often, marry and have children. That’s a lot happening in the space of a few short years and, tragically, many young adults pass through this decade of life ill-prepared.
A program taught at many California high schools makes sure they are ready. It provides these students with training in personal and family management skills such as parenting, communication and budgeting, and with career preparation skills such as writing resumes, interviewing for jobs and gaining entry-level experience in career fields related to one’s “dream job.”
The program, officially known as Consumer and Family Studies, is taught through Home Economics Careers and Technology, a part of the California Department of Education. The courses within this program are known by different names, such as “Parenting,” “Life Management” and “Economics for Living.”
“I want them to be responsible citizens,” said Tracy Taylor, department chair overseeing the Home Economics Careers and Technology courses at Rowland High School in Rowland Heights. “And I want them to be prepared to have a great home, a great family AND a great career.”
At Rowland High School, as with all of the others offering Consumer and Family Studies programs, the courses serve two purposes. One is to create young adults who are well equipped to handle life’s challenges. The other is to expose them to high-demand, well-paying careers in areas such as education, culinary arts, hospitality & tourism, fashion and interior design and consumer marketing.
At many schools, students who have any interest in taking any courses offered through their Home Economics Careers and Technology department begin with a course often titled “Life Management.”
The introductory course will give students exposure to more advanced Home Economics Careers and Technology courses the school offers, which is important because a growing number of high schools ask their ninth- or tenth-grade students to select a “pathway,” so that elective study will be focused on a specific career path.
Students in this course typically will learn about nutrition and food preparation skills, selecting and furnishing a residence, selecting apparel, and child development. With that overview, students not only have information they can use in their personal lives, but they’re also equipped to decide if careers along those pathways interest them.
Many Home Economics Careers and Technology programs offer three pathways, one focusing on culinary arts, one focusing on fashion and a third focusing on child development. A few schools also add pathways focusing on hospitality and tourism, interior design, consumer studies, food science and other related career fields.
Many schools offer more intense project-based Consumer & Family Studies courses to juniors and seniors only. The course name and focus vary somewhat, but are designed to help students make the transition from teenager to productive, independent adult.
At Rowland High School, the course is called “Parenting,” It is a required course in the pathway focusing on child development and education, but open to all students in grades 11 and 12.
And what does “Parenting” entail? The development, care and guidance of children is certainly part of the course, but sometimes, it’s only a small part.
These parenting topics are addressed for two weeks at the end of the first semester. Before then, students will study self-awareness, dating and relationships, marriage preparation, deciding when or if to have kids, and what to expect during pregnancy and childbirth.
In the second semester, Rowland High’s parenting course focuses on what it’s like to raise a family in the real world. Students will have to develop that real-life scenario in another project, by “finding” jobs and places to live, and putting together budgets for their make-believe households.
“My parenting class is highly popular,” Taylor said. “My students rave over what life lessons I have taught them, some even tell me they share these with their own parents who never knew certain things. These are life skills used in making d
aily choices as young adults and one day, as parents and spouses.”
At Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley, a similar course is offered. This course, after a beginning unit on self awareness, starts off by having students consider something they might, as seniors, be doing anyhow – selecting a new city to live in and what college to attend.
They will then learn about finding an apartment and a roommate to share the household expenses. Lessons in interior decoration, budgeting and cooking round out the first semester.
“Our students really like this course,” said Armida Gordon, one of two teachers at Fountain Valley High School who teaches the course. “It teaches them how to move out and live on their own.”
In the second semester, they will learn more about budgeting, goal setting, communication and career planning. A unit on relationships, which touches on marriage and family life, is part of the second-semester curriculum.
Research-based projects accompany each unit, Gordon said. At the end of the year, students have a notebook that can serve as a handy reference manual when they actually move away from their parents’ home and must make personal and household management decisions on their own.
“We have a student teacher this semester in our English department who took the course years ago,” Gordon said. “He says that course and Foods and Nutrition, were two of the most valuable courses he took in high school, because he couldn’t live without them.”
There are more than 750 schools offering the Home Economics Careers and Technology program in California, serving more than 300,000 students. Many of these also offer the co-curricular student leadership and career development program FHA-HERO. For more information, call State Consultant Janice DeBenedetti at (916) 323-5025.
Trent Bush, who graduated from the Adult Rehabilitation Center’s sobriety program several years ago, tells a group of community leaders the difference this program made in his life. Carl Dameron photo
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The San Bernardino County Adult Rehabilitation Center will host “A Celebration of Sobriety” at its men’s’ residence, 363 S. Doolittle Road, San Bernardino, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Celebration of Sobriety is an annual event, but this is the first time it will be held in this building. The center relocated here in December 2008 from a smaller residential center on Tenth Street.
“With our new men’s residence on Doolittle Street, we can accommodate 125 men,” said Maj. John Randall, executive director of the Adult Rehabilitation Center. “They spend six months going through a sobriety program, where they learn to live with God, and without drugs and alcohol. When they graduate from the program, they have an opportunity to join the alumni association and begin to rebuild their lives in a positive, constructive manner.”
The Celebration of Sobriety will honor one man who has completed the program in the past 12 months as “Alumnus of the Year.”
It also honors all graduates who remain sober by having them participate in a “Sobriety Countdown.” This begins with all graduates standing for recognition. Those who have been sober for increasingly longer periods of time remain standing. Some graduates of this program have remained sober for more than 20 years.
The keynote speaker for the event is San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris. The event begins with a dinner followed by the program.
Space is limited, so reservations are necessary. Only adults should attend.
To make reservations, call (909) 889-9605 or email James.Gonzales@usw.salvationarmy.org.
The Adult Rehabilitation Center is one of two branches of The Salvation Army operating in San Bernardino. The other branch is the San Bernardino Corps. Together, they are part of a ministry that has served the needy of San Bernardino Valley for 122 years.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
San Bernardino’s Bicentennial Celebration logo is illustrated with some of San Bernardino’s best resources over the centuries, including arrowheads, orange groves, mountains, transportation ranging from a horse-drawn wagon to an airplane and a high-speed train, landmark buildings California Theater and Vanir Tower, and people. It will be more prevalent in San Bernardino in 2010, as the city will celebrate the 200th anniversary of San Bernardino’s founding from January through July.
(SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF.) In 2010, San Bernardino will be in the spotlight as it turns 200 years old.
San Bernardino first became known as such on May 20, 1810 – the day tradition has it Father Francisco Dumetz made his last trip from Mission San Gabriel to the San Bernardino Valley to set up a new community. Padre Dumetz named the area “San Bernardino” after Saint Bernardine of Siena, the patron saint of the day on the Catholic calendar.
That’s certainly worthy of a great celebration. But San Bernardino’s Bicentennial Celebration Committee isn’t going to stop at just one day. It’s planning a celebration lasting from January through July.
“San Bernardino has a significant history, going back to the naming of this valley in 1810,” said Rabbi Hillel Cohn, chairman of the San Bernardino Bicentennial Celebration Committee. “Since that time it has become a city with a richly diverse population. It is now time to celebrate that past, but also a future we believe will be filled with progress.”
The celebration actually began in May 2009, when San Bernardino celebrated its 199th birthday. On that date, Mayor Pat Morris unveiled a new Bicentennial Logo with the motto “A Rich History. A Bright Future.”
This logo is illustrated with some of San Bernardino’s best resources over the centuries, including arrowheads, orange groves, mountains, transportation ranging from a horse-drawn wagon to an airplane and a high-speed train, landmark buildings California Theater and Vanir Tower, and people.
In January, that logo will become more familiar when the city begins hanging street flags and banners promoting the Bicentennial Celebration.
“Our goal is to blanket the city with banners,” said Erin Brinker, public relations chair for the Bicentennial Celebration Committee. There will also be opportunities for local businesses to sponsor the flags and have their names proudly displayed around the city.
Events begin the following month, starting with performances of “The Legends of the Arrowhead “ on February 17 and 18 at the California Theater. There will be both matinee and evening performances.
This play is being produced by the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency but is based on an award-winning musical created by former San Bernardino residents Bill and Heather McCluskey in 1992. Heather McCluskey is now a nationally-known recording star in Nashville, TN, but says she got her start with her tribute to San Bernardino.
Starting March 1, 2010, volunteers will plant 200 new trees in neighborhoods throughout the city. California State University, San Bernardino students and members of local service clubs have already lined up to help.
In April 2010, a neighborhood beautification contest is planned. Each of the seven city wards will select a project to receive special attention from their neighbors and other volunteers over the four weekends in April. Local restaurants will donate food to the volunteers, and at month’s end, the Bicentennial Celebration Committee will award a prize to the best project.
Meanwhile, the committee encourages other home and business owners to do their part to spruce up their own property.
May 2010 is the biggest month of celebration, with events taking place all month.
Saturday, May 1, the San Bernardino Symphony will pay tribute to the city and to the Community Hospital of San Bernardino, which will be celebrating its centennial. Prior to the concert, symphony keyboard player Michael Tacchia will give an informative and entertaining lecture.
“Don’t miss this unique chance to be part of a celebration as we pull out all the stops in a bicentennial tribute to the City of San Bernardino,” says Conductor Carlos Ponti Jr. on the San Bernardino Symphony website, www.sanbernardinosymphony.org.
The website also notes that one of the selections the San Bernardino Symphony will perform that night is from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.” Other selections are from composers Samuel Barber and Aaron Copeland.
Ticket prices range from $20 to $55, with discounts available to students and military. They can be ordered on the symphony’s website, or by calling (909) 381-5388.
Saturday, May 15, a countdown week of celebration begins with a citrus-themed gala at the National Orange Show. This dinner-dance will feature live entertainment and visual art focusing on the history of San Bernardino.
Sunday, May 16 is a Bicentennial Mayor’s Run and a Festival of Faiths.
The Mayor’s Run is an annual event with a Bicentennial twist for 2010. This year’s 5K and 10K races start at Arrowhead Credit Union Park, home of the Inland Empire 66’ers minor league baseball team and finish at home plate.
Young people can take part in the Mayor’s Mile, which is one, two or three loops around the Arrowhead stadium. All youth who finish receive a certificate of recognition, regardless of how well they place.
The Festival of Faiths takes place at the Western Regional Little League Championship stadium. It will include an ecumenical service, open to all faiths, as well as food from all of the ethnic groups taking part. There is no charge to participate.
“It will bring the many faith communities together, particularly Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu, as well as others, in a celebration of the diversity of faith in San Bernardino over the last 200 years,” Rabbi Cohn said. “There will be recognition of all the various faiths here, as well as worship through dance.”
Thursday, May 20 is the rededication of a centennial monument erected in 1910 and the dedication of a new bicentennial monument at the very site where Father Dumetz first established his local mission. This was in what is now known as the “Urbita” area, near Inland Center Mall.
Saturday, May 22 is a Bicentennial Parade on E Street focusing on the city’s history from its start in 1810 to the future, in accordance with the entire celebration’s theme “A Rich History. A Bright Future.” This theme is divided into three parts for the parade.
Part 1 focuses on “A Rich History.” Entries within this theme include a float from San Manuel Band of Indians with members in ceremonial dress performing bird songs; a float from Aquinas High School depicting the first Mass Father Dumetz performed in San Bernardino after traveling here on May 20, 1810 and members of the Mormon Church parading in period costumes with hand carts like they used when they first came to the area in the 1850s.
Part 2 focuses on the present and will include the Westside Steppers, drill teams, mariachi groups, churches and more. Part 3 depicts participants’ hopes for the future. Entries will be from CSUSB, San Bernardino Valley College, Gallo Technology and others.
Transcending the past, present and future, 20 youth from various ethnic backgrounds wi
thin San Bernardino will carry a large United States flag, owned by the Native Sons of the Golden West. Each youth will wear a costume depicting the land of his or her ancestors.
The Bicentennial Celebration Committee also has invited every high school in San Bernardino to send its marching band.
“It will be a phenomenal parade, the likes of which San Bernardino has never seen before,” Brinker said.
June 17-19 is a youth celebration and talent show called “San Bernardino’s Got Talent.” It’s focusing on the talent of local residents, primarily those of high school and college age.
For the finale, the Bicentennial Celebration will conclude with a fireworks show and extravaganza on July 4, 2010 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. This evening event will include food and entertainment along with a fireworks show.
The events inside the park will be free, however there will be a $5 per vehicle charge to park at Arrowhead.
To register to be a part of any of these great days, or for more information, go to http://www.sanbernardino200.org/ or call Erin Brinker at (951) 323-9337.
Rabbi Cohn is the chairman of the Bicentennial Celebration Committee, and Erin Brinker is the chair of its Public Relations & Marketing and Independence Day Extravaganza committees. Other Bicentennial Celebration Committee members are Art Guerrero (chair of Neighborhood Beautification committee) Jim Smith (chair of the Community Engagement committee), Cheryl Brown (chair of the Youth Council, Intergovernmental and Arts committees), Beverly Bird (chair of the Legend of the Arrowhead committee), Steven Shaw (chair of the History committee), David Smith (chair of the Finance committee), Jane Sneddon (chair of the Parade committee) and Martha Pinkney (chair of the Gala committee.)
These members were appointed by the mayor and members of the San Bernardino Common Council. Additional community volunteers who have taken on leadership of other committees are: Trudy Freidel (Festival of Faiths), Dr. William Coleman (Leadership Cabinet), Peggi Hazlett (Mayor’s Run), Dr. Charles “Skip” Herbert (Coloring Books for Schools) and The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire (Design).
Find art, cosmetics, gifts and more, at The Black Business Expo on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Moreno Valley Holiday Inn Express.
Mary Kay Team Leader Debra Williams, Jennifer Schultz and Felicia Harris, both “future sales directors” with Mary Kay, came to the first Black Business Expo in Moreno Valley to sell their cosmetics and skin care products, but enjoyed some shopping too. Small business owners of all ethnicities are welcome to the second expo, planned for Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Moreno Valley Holiday Inn Express.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) In recent months the nation and The City of San Bernardino have been rocked by financial and economic challenges that have severely affected the employment in our city.
The housing market has crashed. Home prices have declined by more than half (53.18 percent) from one year ago, according to a DataQuick Survey for July 2009. Recent trends show home sales and home prices showing a slight increase however, the housing industry was the region’s number one employer. Many companies have laid off employees and in too many cases, gone out of business.
“That has put good people with great jobs out of work,” said Emil Marzullo, the interim executive director of the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency. He added, “Our unemployment rate has gone from a low of 4.5 percent in 2006 to a little more than 14.5 percent today. That means 3 out of every 20 people are out of work.”
Our incomes have declined significantly. “Some of our unemployed friends and neighbors have found new jobs and some of them haven’t.” Marzullo said. “Some of our friends and neighbors are receiving unemployment insurance. That insurance pays about half of their previous salary up to $1,935 a month in payments.”
People who earned more than $3,891 a month can receive much less than half their previous income. Losing half your salary or more can mean real problems meeting financial obligations.
As we have heard many times, the root of our problem was easy to get sub-prime mortgages. These mortgages started with low interest rates and low payments. These low payments became larger payments in as little as six months. Within two years these low payments became even larger payments, often too large for people to pay.
During the dramatic increase in home sales and home prices, driven by easy credit at high rates, sub-prime mortgages increased by five times (from 4.5 percent to 20 percent) according to Inside Mortgage Finance, 2007.
According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in 2006 a little less than half (44.2 percent) of loans made in San Bernardino were sub-prime mortgages. In some areas of San Bernardino more than half (59 percent) were sub-prime mortgages.
This has led to San Bernardino having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) our area has the second highest foreclosure rate in California, about 3 out of every 25 homes or 11.8 percent.
RealtyTrac, an Irvine based company that tracks foreclosures nationwide, shows 4,327 foreclosed properties in San Bernardino from January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Foreclosures have dramatically affected every ward in San Bernardino.
Current Number of Foreclosed Homes in San Bernardino
But the foreclosure problem isn’t over yet. HUD projects that the City of San Bernardino still has a little less than half of its current mortgages (44.2 percent) as sub-prime mortgages. HUD rates the risk of foreclosure and abandonment on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being worst.
According to HUD the city of San Bernardino averages a 9.2 risk factor with a projected average citywide foreclosure and abandonment rate for the next 18 months of three out of every 25 homes (12 percent).
What Is The City of San Bernardino Doing To Fix Our Housing Market?“These problems have brought more problems and more opportunities. To take advantage of the opportunities and to help stabilize the housing market The City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency has developed a very aggressive and well thought out plan to stabilize our housing market and help the entire city move forward,” said Marzullo.
On October 20, 2008, the agency’s Integrated Housing Strategy was approved by the city council acting as the Community Development Commission of the City of San Bernardino.
“Included in the Strategy is the key goal of single-family homeownership and neighborhood revitalization, designed to enhance residential neighborhoods and promote home ownership,” said Marzullo.
He added, “We will help to meet this goal by reducing the harmful effects caused by our current foreclosure crisis.”
The City of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency has marshaled its resources and sought to find additional funding. “We are using $36.7 million for this plan. $8.4 million from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program and $28.3 million from agency funds,” said Marzullo.
Use of funds
EDA Fiscal Year 2009 – 2010 Budget Line Items
Expenditure Detail – Capital Expenses
Development Capital Expenses Housing Budget
Program Description
Amount
Utility Rebate Program Low Income
$75,000
Old-timers
140,000
Casa Ramona/Highland Standby Loan Guarantee
360,000
49th Street Telacu property acquisition/relocation/demo
500,000
Residential revitalization opportunities
2,000,000
Single Family Beautification Grant NHS-3 yr annual
2,100,000
5th and Meridian Project
2,500,000
City Wide Housing Down Payment Assistance Program
3,490,000
Highland and Medical Center Senior Housing
4,400,000
<
/tr>
Annual Notice of Funds Available
6,000,000
HOME – Affordable Housing Projects
6,943,186
Neighborhood Stabilization Program
8,203,588
Total budgeted for housing projects
$36,711,774
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds come from $3.92 billion authorized by Congress in 2008 as part of the stimulus programs to address abandoned and foreclosed residential properties nationwide.
“The agency has also applied for additional $9 million from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds and shall continue to explore opportunities and request funds to help fix San Bernardino’s economic and housing issues,” said Marzullo.
The Plan – An Integrated Housing Strategy The agency has made many programs available to help San Bernardino residents: 1. Exterior Beautification Grants providing up to $10,000 for homeowners in San Bernardino. 2. $25,000 Single Family Rehabilitation Loans for homeowners in San Bernardino. 3. 10 percent down payment assistance to buy a home in San Bernardino. 4. Buying, rehabilitating and selling foreclosed properties to homeowners. 5. Purchasing and demolishing blighted and abandoned housing where crime is a problem. 6. Receivership Program created to enhance homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods. 7. Annual notice of funding availability for large scale projects 8. Building 80 units of Senior housing at the South West corner Highland & Medical Center Drive by Meta Housing, Inc., to help revitalize the area. 9. The demolition of up to 184 apartments from the 19th and Sunrise area and the selection of Mary Erickson Community Housing to acquire, rehabilitate and manage the remaining 100 units of rental apartments.
Program Descriptions:
1. Beautification Grants provide up to $10,000 for homes in San Bernardino. The bad news is that 3 in every 25 homes in the city have been foreclosed. The good news is that 22 homes in every 25 are still owned and occupied. To help those city residents improve the outside appearance of their homes and revitalize the city’s neighborhoods, homeowners can receive a grant of up to $10,000 per property for exterior home improvements.
Before Beautification Grant
Homeowners can receive an additional $5,000 if they match the grant with the same amount of their own funds. Based on the homeowner’s match, the total beautification activity could equal a maximum of $20,000 per project ($15,000 in agency funds plus $5,000 in homeowner funds).
The Neighborhood Housing Service of The Inland Empire, Inc. (NHSIE) runs this program for the agency.
After Beautification Grant
These Beautification Grants can be used for: • New energy efficient window and front door replacements. • New driveway or repairs. • New garage door • Exterior painting • New drought tolerant landscaping including automatic sprinklers and planting materials for the front yard only • New front yard fencing with wrought iron, vinyl, wood or block fencing • New parkway enhancements, i.e. stamped concrete, trees and drought tolerant landscape materials.
To be eligible to receive this grant you must: 1. Be a resident of San Bernardino. 2. Make less than $77,400 a year for a family of four (120 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size). 3. Have owned and lived in your home for at least one year and made that your principal place of residence. 4. Complete a Beautification Grant application. 5. Attend a property maintenance class created and given by The Neighborhood Housing Service of The Inland Empire, Inc. (NHSIE) 6. Sign a ten-year maintenance covenant (an agreement added to your title) that says you will keep your propert
y looking attractive. 7. Agree to live in the house for at least one additional year as your principal place of residence. 8. Homeowners cannot receive a Beautification Grant and a Single Family Rehabilitation Loan.
“This program is designed to help make our neighborhoods look and feel better,” said Marzullo. “The program has such a big demand that our partner has placed a hold on new applications. Because of the demand, the agency is looking for additional partners to allow us to take more applications and get more money into the hands of residents faster.”
San Bernardino City homeowners who want more information on Beautification Grants or to be put on the waiting list can call The Neighborhood Housing Service of The Inland Empire, Inc. (NHSIE) at (909) 884-6891.
2. $25,000 Single Family Rehabilitation Loans for homeowners in San Bernardino. Beautification Grants make the outside of the home look great, but sometimes our homes need new roofs, have termite damage or need work inside the home.
To help homeowners with these problems the agency has a Single Family Rehabilitation Loan of up to $25,000, or 25 percent of the current fair market value of the home, whichever is less. The loan has a 3 percent simple interest rate and all payments are postponed until the homeowner sells or refinances the home.
“This loan was created to help homeowners keep their homes in good repair without increasing the financial burden that could make them lose their homes,” said Marzullo.
“This is a program that helps to stop foreclosures by fixing problems before they become too much for a homeowner to handle,” he added.
These Single Family Rehabilitation Loans can be used for: • A new roof • Exterior and interior painting, including lead removal or covering. If lead is found in your home the agency will fund the entire amount to remove the lead from your home. This keeps you and your children safe from lead poising. • New energy efficient windows • New carpet and/or flooring • New high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems • Electrical work • Sewer repair or sewer installation • Termite repairs • Exterior concrete such as sidewalks, driveways, curbs, gutters, handrails or ramps • New door or window screens or repairs • New bathtub, shower, toilets, or repairs • Foundation or structural repairs • Fencing
To be eligible to receive these grants you must: i. Live in the City of San Bernardino ii. Make less than $77,400 a year for a family of four (120 percent of the Area Median Income adjusted for family size.) iii. Have owned and lived in your home for at least one year and made that your principal place of residence. iv. Complete a Single Family Rehabilitation Loan application. v. Attend a property maintenance class created and given by The Neighborhood Housing Service of The Inland Empire, Inc. (NHSIE) vi. Agree to live in the house for at least 10 years as your principal place of residence. vii. Homeowners cannot receive a Beautification Grant and a Single Family Rehabilitation Loan.
“The program has such a big demand that our partner has placed a hold on new applications. Because of the demand, the agency is looking for additional partners to allow us to take more applications and get more money into the hands of residents faster.”
San Bernardino City homeowners who want more information on Single Family Rehabilitation Loans, or to be put on the waiting list can call The Neighborhood Housing Service of The Inland Empire, Inc. (NHSIE) at (909) 884-6891.
3. 10 percent down payment assistance to buy a home in San Bernardino “The best way to get rid of foreclosed homes in San Bernardino is for families to buy them and live in them,” said Marzullo. “ It seems simple, but with home prices down to an average of $70,000 there has never been a better time for families to buy a home.”
Marzullo may be right. Homes that sold for more than $380,000 a few years ago are priced as low as $100,000.
Lower home prices make housing more affordable. A family making $30,000 a year can afford to buy a $140,000 home. According to Bank of America, with a $7,000 down payment and a 5.298 percent annual interest rate, on a 30-year fixed interest rate loan the payment would be $724.17.
The San Bernardino County Housing Authority says market rent for a three-bedroom apartment is $1,583 a month. That means buying a home with a fixed mortgage so that monthly payments never increase can save a homeowner thousands of dollars a year over rent payments.
“We also know from experience that this housing price drop won’t last forever. Home values in San Bernardino will appreciate again at a more normal 1 to 3 percent a year. That increase in home value builds family wealth that can be used in the future for children’s college education or retirement,” said Marzullo.
The Homeowners’ Assistance Program provides first time homebuyers with up to 10 percent of the home purchase price. For a $100,000 house that amount would be $10,000; for a $200,000 house the amount is $20,000.
The interest rate on the loan is 3 percent simple interest.
To qualify you must: 1. Purchase a home within the city limits of San Bernardino. 2. Not have owned a home within the last three years. 3. Make a cash investment of $1,000 towards the purchase price of the home. 4. Earn less than $77,400 a year for a family of four (120 percent of the Area Median Income adjusted for family size.) 5. Occupy the home as your primary residence for the forty-five year term, or if you sell the home before then, share the equity increase with the agency. 6. Attend a 16-hour Homebuyer Education course given by Neighborhood Housing Services of the Inland Empire. For more information on the Homeowners’ Assistance Program can call the City of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency at (909) 663-1044 and ask for Lisa Conner.
4. Buying, rehabilitating and selling foreclosed properties to owners who will live in the homes “The agency has created or found ways for people to buy homes in the City of San Bernardino. This program allocates $3.7 million of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds to empower agency-approved companies to purchase and rehabilitate some of the 4,327 foreclosed properties in our city. These companies have been retained through a Request for Production/Qualifications (“RFP”) process and are checked by agency staff and approved by the City Council.
They are community development corporations, builders, developers and contractors.
Upon rehabilitation, the homes will be made available for purchase to qualifying households whose make less than $77,400 a year for a family of four (120 percent of the Area Median Income adjusted for family size).
Expected home sales prices are from $100,000 to $250,000. Buyers can also use the agency’s Homeowners Assistance Program providing a 10 percent down payment for those who qualify. For a $100,000 home that would be $10,000 to purchase the home.
For more information or a for list of available homes please call the City of San Bernardino’s Ec
onomic Development Agency at (909) 663-1044 and ask for Shannon Johnson.
5. Purchasing and demolishing blighted and abandoned housing where crime is a problem “Some of the abandoned or foreclosed homes and multi-family housing in our city are in physical conditions too costly for rehabilitation,” said Marzullo. “With a budget of $920,000 from federal Neighborhood Stabilization Funds and $1.00 million from the agency’s funds, this program will allow for the acquisition, demolition and future home building on these sites.”
Generally, these sites fall under two primary categories: those that have become a blighting influence on the immediate area and pose a serious health and safety risk, and those which offer a unique opportunity to create catalytic projects that will help to further private investment.
“When the economy recovers these vacant lots will be ready for redevelopment of new single family homes,” said Marzullo.
Meridian Project A current example of this includes the Fifth Street and Meridian Avenue project (“Meridian Project”) that was approved by the commission on September 15, 2008. $2.5 million is approved and budgeted for the acquisition, demolition and preparation for development.
In the first phase of the project the agency acquired nine of the 18 residential complexes along Fifth Street immediately east of Meridian Avenue.
The remaining nine privately owned properties are currently being appraised to find their highest and best use value. Once the appraisals are complete CPSI, our relocation firm hired to assist the agency in this project, will prepare offers for presentation to the homeowners on behalf of the agency.
The project is a priority for the agency as a result of the blighting effects the current apartment complexes are having on the immediate area, which is generally comprised of single-family residences.
Given the high number of bank owned properties and the overall state of housing prices, the agency has a unique opportunity to acquire these properties at drastically reduced prices in order to obtain site control for future development.
After the properties are demolished, the agency will issue a request for proposals to the development community in an attempt to seek the best redevelopment solution on an open and competitive basis.
In June of 2009 the agency demolished four fourplexes located on West Fifth Street. The agency is currently demolishing another five fourplexes at the site. The families living in these fourplexes have been successfully relocated to decent, safe and sanitary replacement sites and received relocation benefits.
19th Street and Sunrise There are currently 244 low-income apartment units in 61 fourplexes and 10 vacant lots at the 19th and Sunrise project area.
The agency is purchasing 46 properties with up to 184 apartments for demolition. As the housing market improves the agency will build up to 65 units of senior housing and between 40 – 55 single family homes.
When the project is complete the area will have 205 to 215 units of housing – 144 fewer apartments and 31 to 41 fewer housing units than when the agency started.
A more complete description of the entire project is below.
For more information on the purchase and demolition of blighted housing please call the City of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency at (909) 663-1044 and ask for Carey Jenkins.
6. Receivership Program created to enhance homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods. “Because of the way so many mortgages were made and sold in pieces to investors in the last few years, sometimes finding the true owner of a foreclosed property can be very difficult. It can be more difficult to make the banks or other owners board up or repair their property when we do find them,” said Marzullo.
To take control of these properties and make sure they are repaired, maintained and resold the agency has created, tested and is ready to implement a Receivership Program. It works like this: After the city’s Code Enforcement team has documented a series of violations with a particular property and the owner refuses to obey after being given reasonable notice and opportunity, the city makes a request to the courts to have a receiver appointed to make the necessary repairs.
The Receivership Program is a great way to meet agency and city residents’ worries about these vacant and foreclosed properties. The agency also has the added benefit of beautifying existing blighted housing stock without having to worry about how to fund the repairs.
This program is most effective in neighborhoods where there are one or two blighted properties on an otherwise nice street, the homes are priced above $150,000, and home prices are generally rising. “We have seen home prices stop their decline in recent months and we expect to see prices start to rise sometime in the future,” said Marzullo.
The agency has used the Receivership Program twice. “We believe that as home prices rise we will have more of an opportunity to use the program to rid neighborhoods of problem homes faster. This is another tool to help us solve the problem of foreclosure and blight in the City of San Bernardino,” Marzullo said.
To make a complaint about a blighted vacant property call the City of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency at (909) 663-1044 and ask for Shannon Johnson.
7. Annual notice of funding availability for large scale projects One of the issues the agency has had in the past is setting specific housing goals and then finding the resources to meet those objectives. Through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and agency funds we have been able to do just that.
The agency sent an invitation to housing companies, investors and developers and asked them to present their ideas to work with the agency on specific housing goals in San Bernardino with a determined financial contribution by the agency.
We called this invitation the annual notice of funding availability (NOFA). It was established to meet a number of key affordable housing objectives.
• One, it allows for an orderly allocation of funds on a regular basis. It also allows the agency to look at similar projects on the same merits, at the same time. • Additionally, it will help meet the city’s overall housing creation goals for example, higher quality affordable housing stock and better on-site management of multifamily housing. • Finally, it creates development opportunities within the city and generates interest from a greater number of potential community development corporations, developers, investors and potential partners.
Last year marked the agency’s first opportunity to provide a regular allocation of funds to address the general housing goals stated above. With this in mind, the agency identified up to $6 million to be allocated toward two specific project types:
a) New construction of senior housing between 80 and 120 units, and b) Acquisition and rehabilitation of existing problem multi-family rental housing of more than 40 units.
After a thorough review of the proposals received the agency ranked and selected two projects.
a) Meta Housing, Inc. was selected to build 80 units of senior housing at the South West corner of Highland & Medical Center Drive. b) Mary Erickson Community Housing (MECH) was selected for the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing problematic multi-family rental housing.
To follow is information on the two projects.
a) Meta Housing, Inc. – 80 units of senior housing at the South West corner of Highland & Medical Center Drive
This project transforms a blighted automotive site into 80 units of high quality, affordable housing for seniors, obtains a one-acre parcel of land for future sale or development opportunities, and creates a future stream of income that can be used for future developments including senior or single-family housing.
There will be three separate floor plans. The first is a one-bedroom unit of approximately 589 square feet with a patio or balcony. The two other plans consist of 2-bedroom units of approximately 828 square feet and 971 square feet, also with patios or balconies.
An outdoor patio area with shade trees, a fountain, barbecue grills, a swimming pool and adequate areas for relaxed seating will enhance the exterior of the facility. A walking path around the perimeter of the building will allow residents the opportunity for exercise while at the same time providing them with a sense of security as the path will be within a decorative 6-foot wrought iron fence that surrounds the project.
Meta Housing, Inc., is a Los Angeles, California based company that specializes in the development of affordable and market-rate apartment communities for families and seniors. Since 1969, the organization has been responsible for successfully developing more than 10,000 single-family and multi-family residential units throughout Southern California.
The total development cost for the project is $17.5 million. The agency’s agreed upon subsidy for the project is $4 million. As a result of this development, the agency will retain the one-acre parcel and receive a deferred payment loan, secured by a second trust deed against the project.
For more information on this project call Carey Jenkins at the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency at (909) 663-1044.
b) The demolition of up to 184 apartments from the 19th and Sunrise area and the selection of Mary Erickson Community Housing to acquire, rehabilitate and manage the remaining 100 units of rental apartments.
The 19th and Sunrise area has a history of police and code enforcement involvement and is a blighting influence on the surrounding community.
A major problem with the area is that it has changed owners over the years. When it was built there was one owner of the 61 multifamily fourplexes. The owner had the resources to maintain the properties in good condition, rent to good people and evict those who were not.
About 20 years ago that company sold the multiplexes and now we have many different owners with many different standards for renting. Some have no regard for their properties and have allowed them to decline into unlivable conditions.
A number of the properties are rented to people who cannot rent anywhere else. Some are forced to pay first class rents of $1,200 or more a month for very poor quality housing.
The agency and council agreed the time is right to immediately stabilize the area of the city adversely affected by this poorly maintained and operated residential housing complex.
The agency’s plan is to use a non-profit housing developer to purchase and rehabilitate 100 units of apartments for rent. The Agency is purchasing the remaining 46 properties with up to 184 apartments set for demolition.
The vacant land will be used to build new single family housing and senior housing in the next few years as the housing market improves.
There are currently 244 low-income apartment units within 61 fourplexes and 10 vacant lots at the 19th and Sunrise project area.
Aerial photo of the 19th and Sunrise Project Area
When complete the 19th Street and Sunrise area will have: o 100 units of rental apartments for families of four that make up to $53,300 a year. o 40 – 55 single family homes for sale to families of four who make up to $77,400 a year. o 65 units of senior apartments for rent to households that make up to $42,650 a year for a family of two.
The end result will deliver 205 to 215 units of housing – 144 fewer apartments and 31 to 41 fewer housing units than when the agency started.
Agency staff has determined the best method for acquiring; rehabilitating and operating apartments for rent would be through a non-profit company that could perform all of these functions on the agency’s behalf. The agency selected Mary Erickson Community Housing through a competitive application process.
Mary Erickson Community Housing is a non-profit agency specializing in housing, with greater capacity than the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency for rehabilitating and professionally managing apartments for low to moderate-income families.
Mary Erickson Community Housing was founded in 1991. Its namesake was a retired schoolteacher who was devoted to the principals of community participation and well being. The company established its first affordable housing complex in San Clemente and has since grown to include multiple properties serving hundreds of diverse, hard working, low income families in Southern California including: Moreno Valley, Corona, Loma Linda, Riverside and now San Bernardino.
Preventing future multiple owners To make sure the rental apartments can never be sold to individual owners and create unsafe and unregulated conditions again, as the properties are purchased the deeds will be changed to make them each one parcel. • 15 separate apartment complexes on the north side of 19th Street will become one complete parcel. (The north area in blue.) • 10 fourplexes on the South Side of Sunrise Lane will become one complete parcel. (The south area in blue.)
Current and Future Residents Current residents will be asked to apply to live in the newly renovated apartments. MECH will have active on site management, new rental agreements and new rules designed to keep the neighborhood safe and attractive.
Mary Erickson Community Housing also provides life skills education to help all residents gain skills to better manage their families and finances.
Phase 1 Currently, Mary Erickson Community Housing is purchasing the vacant, foreclosed and boarded up properties in the19th and Sunrise area. (The blue areas on the map.)
MECH has already acquired three properties and expects to begin construction in the coming weeks to rehabilitate those apartments. Phase 1 is complete when the 15 separate apartment complexes on the north side of 19th street and the 10 fourplexes on the south side of Sunrise Lane are acquired and rehabilitated. The initial allocation of NSP funds for this component is $2.1 million plus $1 million in Agency funds.
For its investment with MECH for the apartments, the agency will receive half (50 percent) of any “surplus cash flow” after all operating expenses and debt service payments have been made on each property acquired, rehabilitated and placed into service by MECH.
Phase 2 Concurrent
ly, the Agency is also purchasing properties in the area bounded by 19th Street to the north, Sunrise Lane to the south, Guthrie to the east and Argyle to the west. These are the green and gold areas on the map. These properties will be acquired and demolished. The initial cost to the Agency is $1.6 million.
Phase 3 When cleared and available the agency will prepare 12 parcels of the land for senior housing and issue a request for proposal to build 65 units of senior apartments. The project will be funded from future agency and developer funds.
Phase 4 In the future as housing demand returns the agency will issue a request for proposals to build 40 – 55 single family homes. The project will be funded from future agency and developer funds. The number of homes depends on the lot size for the homes.
For more information on this project call the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency at (909) 963-5020 and ask for Sam Hughes.
Summary “The City of San Bernardino has a rich history and a bright future. We are a growing city of more than 205,000 people. We are also a diverse city with many different ethnic groups speaking several different languages,” said Marzullo.
He added, “Our diversity doesn’t stop with ethnic diversity. We are also an economically diverse city. Who lives in San Bernardino? Our friends and neighbors are people of all occupations and incomes.
“They are college presidents, truck drivers, teachers, cashiers, servers, rocket scientists, waiters, college professors, hosts, dishwashers, police officers, cooks, machinists, carpenters, house cleaners, brain surgeons, bartenders and corporate presidents.”
San Bernardino also has more than 30,000 college and university students attending such diverse campuses as Valley College, California State University and The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.
Like many cities, San Bernardino area residents’ annual salaries vary from a low of zero for some college students to millions of dollars a year for company presidents and business owners.
“All of our residents need a safe, clean, quality and affordable place to live. It is the job of the Economic Development Agency and its Housing and Community Development Department of The City of San Bernardino to make sure that is possible to the best of our ability,” said Marzullo.
The agency has these programs to help solve our housing problems: 1. $25,000 Single Family Rehabilitation Loans for homeowners in San Bernardino. 2. 10 percent down payment assistance to buy a home in San Bernardino. 3. Buying, rehabilitating and selling foreclosed properties to owners who will live in the homes. 4. Purchasing and demolishing blighted and abandoned housing where crime is a problem. 5. Receivership Program created to enhance homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods. 6. Annual notice of funding availability for large scale projects 7. Build 80 units of senior housing at the SW corner Highland & Medical Center Drive and revitalize an important part of our city. Meta Housing, Inc. selected build and mange the complex. 8. The demolition of 184 apartments from the 19th and Sunrise area and the selection of Mary Erickson Community Housing to acquire, rehabilitate and manage the remaining 100 units of rental apartments.
“These projects require experienced professionals who search out funding opportunities and match them to the needs of our city; cerate and mange programs; and review and conform to the thousands of pages of rules, regulations and laws from city, state and federal agencies. We are lucky to have some of the best housing professionals in the state working for San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency, said Marzullo.
Rest assured the Economic Development Agency in the city of San Bernardino continues to find new ways to improve housing. For more information on any of these programs please call the EDA office at (909) 663-1044.
