OP-ED: Why Proposition 1 Should Be Approved

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted for publication by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition.

INDIO, CA -- Mr. and Mrs. Countryman’s dream for their family is like many Californians’: a safe and stable home for themselves and their three children. Gordon Countryman joined the U. S. Marines in 1969 serving his country during the Vietnam War. After returning home he worked odd jobs including in a machine shop, an operator in a chemical plant, and high school janitor. In 1984 he went to work for the Department of Defense until 2009 when he left for personal reasons. He remained unemployed and in 2013 he and his family became homeless as the family funds ran out.

After living on the streets and local camp grounds, he heard about the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC), a nonprofit developer of affordable housing. He applied and was approved at one of CVHC’s multifamily housing communities: Coyote Run Apts in Palm Springs. During this time, they were encouraged to apply to CVHC’s Mutual Self-Help Program designed to allow eligible families to help in the construction of their single family house.

Working alongside 10 other families, Gordon and his family realized the American Dream of homeownership on January 24, 2018 when they received the keys to their brand-new home. “In CVHC’s self-help program everyone gets to know everyone while helping each other build their homes and by the time everyone’s homes are built they become more of a family than just people living next to each other,” says Gordon.

Since then, Gordon has joined the board of directors of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and continues advocating for affordable housing and resident services. He understands that without organizations like CVHC many working families would not afford a safe and stable place to call home. He says, “I will continue to speak on behalf of affordable housing and make sure Prop 1 passes this November,”

Like all of California, Riverside County is experiencing a housing crisis where one in three working Californians cannot afford their rent. Over half of local renters are spending more than 30% of their incomes and some as much as 50% of their incomes on housing. California is now the epicenter of homelessness with nearly a quarter of the nation’s total homeless population residing in the state. California also has the highest numbers of homeless veterans as well as youth and minors experiencing homelessness.

Prop 1 (The Veterans and Affordable Housing Act) is a $4 billion bond measure that will dedicate funding to help not only military families like the Countrymans but thousands of families who everyday find themselves further and further from being able to afford market rate housing. These include hotel workers, store clerks, landscapers, construction workers, teachers, law enforcement, healthcare workers, child care providers, and barbers.

The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition urges all registered California voters to support and vote for Prop 1 on the November 6th ballot, so we can provide more housing opportunities to our working neighbors and low-income seniors. Studies show that educational outcomes, community stability and quality of life are improved with attractive, affordable housing. It is also good for your health! Throughout Riverside and Imperial Counties, CVHC has constructed well over 2500 multi-family units and 2,000 single family homes and the resources created by Prop 1 will allow organizations like CVHC to bring affordable housing to many working families throughout the state, just as it has for Mr. and Mrs. Countryman.

Besides constructing attractive and efficient affordable housing, CVHS also connects its residents to a pipeline of Resident Service programs with the support of the best providers in the field in an effort to bring a myriad of opportunities that enrich the lives of the people living in its housing developments.

To learn more about the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition or on supporting these programs, please call us at 760-347-3157 or visit our website at www.cvhc.org. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook (facebook.com/CVHousing)!

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