Community Housing Works

Opportunity begins with a stable home. Community HousingWorks(CHW) provides and builds life-changing affordable apartment communities with resident-centered services for working families, seniors and people with disabilities to forge stronger futures.

Originally North County Housing Foundation, Community HousingWorks was founded by social justice activists, social service advocates and city leaders in Escondido united by the cause of affordable apartments for children and homeless families. In 1990 we opened Las Casitas, an Escondido community of six historic hundred-year-old bungalows, which became transitional apartments for homeless families.

Since our expansion into other North County San Diego areas, CHW has also expanded into providing resident services, starting with our first after-school care program in 1997.

CHW now provides safe, stable housing and wrap-around resident services at our 53 affordable housing communities, serving over 12,000 residents across California and now Texas.

CHW provides people with stable homes in healthy communities and layers in powerful programs, services, and connections to resources. Our onsite Community Centers not only provide residents with a safe space to learn and grow, they also provide critical access to the resources, knowledge and community support they need to forge stable futures.

The tools CHW provides help people attain financial stability, improve their health and overall well-being. They also set school-age children up for success in the classroom and beyond. Under the pillars of Health and Wellness, Financial Well-Being and Next Generation Success are numerous programs that are each designed to support resident needs and goals in meaningful ways.

In regard to our services in Orange County, we employ our Older Adults program to provide tailored services for our Portola residents. These include financial literacy classes, personalized financial coaching, tech support and access to free Wi-Fi to keep residents connected, health and wellness coaching, as well as free bus passes and food delivery when funding allows.

The need for safe, stable housing for older adults will increase in the years ahead as our overall population ages. Additionally, older adults facing homelessness has increased since the pandemic; among single unhoused individuals in California who are over 50, 41 percent became homeless for the first time at age 50 and older (Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2023).

As the housing crisis in Southern California continues, and seniors becoming the fastest growing population of people experiencing homelessness, the need for affordable housing for seniors is more dire than ever. Funds raised through the OC Giving Days: Preserving Dignity fundraiser will directly support CHW's resident services, helping to provide critical wrap-around support for seniors, including those living at Portola Apartments in Orange County.

The Older Adults Program provides onsite supportive housing services and activities to promote older adult health and independence, encourage an active lifestyle and community support, and reduce isolation. Residents are provided financial coaching, health and wellness resources and technology support to better their quality of life. Portola Apartments also hosts quarterly community events to bring together all residents who would like to participate. We hope to bolster these services by fundraising in Orange County.

This fundraiser is for residents in Orange County but CHW also serves the following areas:
• San Diego County (39 Communities)
o Carlsbad - North Coastal Region
 La Costa Paloma
o Encinitas – North Coastal Region
 Esperanza Gardens
o Escondido – North Inland Region
 15th Avenue Cooperative
 Avocado Court
 Daybreak Grove / Sunrise Place
 Eucalyptus View
 Las Casitas
 Manzanita
 Orange Place
 Windsor Gardens
o Fallbrook – North Inland Region
 Fallbrook View
 Turnagain
o Lakeside – Eastern Region
 Maplewood
o National City – Southern Region
 Paradise Creek 1
 Paradise Creek 2
 Kimball Tower
 Kimball Highland Master Plan – Under Construction
 Morgan Tower
o Oceanside – North Coastal Region
 Marisol
 Mission Cove Seniors
 Old Grove
o Poway – North Inland Region
 Haley Ranch
 Hillside Village
 Oak Knoll Villas
 Park View Terrace
 Poway Villas
 Solara
o San Diego – Central and Southern Regions
 Alabama Manor - Central Region
 Amanecer - Central Region
 Bandar Salaam - Central Region
 Jacaranda on 9th – Under Construction
 Kalos – Central Region
 Keeler Court – Central Region
 Las Serenas – Southern Region
 Mayberry Townhomes – Southern Region
 North Park Seniors – Central Region
 Navajo Family – Under Construction
 Puesto de Sol
o Vista – North Coastal Region
 Cedar Nettleton
 Los Robles
 North Santa Fe
 Paseo Artist Village
• Riverside County
o Temecula
 Las Haciendas
• Orange County
o Lake Forest
 Portola Senior Apartments
• Los Angeles County
o Azusa
 Azusa
o Pasadena
 The Groves
• Fresno County
o Fresno
 Parks at Fig Gardens
• Santa Clara County
o San Jose
 Parkside Terrace
• Contra Costa County
o Concord
 Sun Ridge
• Sacramento County
o Sacramento
 Salvator (Formerly Arden Way)
• Montgomery County
o Texas
 Park at Woodland Springs