Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – Single dad Rudy Miranda doesn’t hesitate when it comes to his priorities.
“I want my kids to have everything I didn’t have,” Rudy says. “I never got a good education. At an early age, I was on the streets. When I got a job, I struggled because I didn’t have that education. I want my kids to be prepared, to be responsible, to be independent.”
With three children, ages 7, 8 and 9, Rudy embodies the challenges of one of the poorest counties in California. One in five adults and one in four children in San Bernardino County live below the poverty line – dire statistics that will change if, and only if, pathways are created from education to good-paying jobs, experts say.
He and his family also are a testament to National Community Renaissance’s commitment to transforming lives and communities. One of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing, National CORE and its Hope through Housing subsidiary are at the forefront of integrating life-improving social services into affordable housing communities.
Rudy has been a resident of CORE’s Villaggio apartments in Rancho Cucamonga for the past six years, and has taken full advantage of the community’s after school program.
“It’s not about babysitting,” Rudy says. “The staff here is very helpful with homework, and believe me, the homework they give kindergarteners and first-graders these days, I don’t know how they do it.”
Most of all, the after school program teaches responsible behavior.
“They make sure the kids do their jobs right,” Rudy says. “My kids love it. They’ve learned a lot, and know if they don’t follow instructions, if they’re not responsible, they won’t have opportunities to do the things they want to.”
“We love stories such as Rudy’s,” said Natalie Rider, Senior Vice President for Hope through Housing. “He wants nothing more than to see his kids break the cycle, become independent and have opportunities he never had. To be a part of that is incredibly rewarding.”
Over the past two decades, Hope has provided more than 2 million hours in supportive services to enhance quality of life, including preschool, after school, senior wellness and upward mobility programs.
That is part of what stands CORE apart from other affordable housing developers, said Steve PonTell, the nonprofit company’s President and CEO.
“We don’t build a project and walk away. We’re invested in our communities, and we’re invested in our residents,” PonTell said.
Rudy, a diabetic who hasn’t been able to work in recent months because of his health issues, attests to that investment.
“I’m very fortunate,” he says. “And I’m determined to see that my kids are able to use this to build better lives for themselves.
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About National CORE
National Community Renaissance, based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing. CORE manages nearly 9,000 affordable, senior and market-rate units in California, Arkansas, Texas and Florida. Over the past two decades, its Hope through Housing subsidiary has provided more than 2 million hours in supportive services to enhance quality of life, including preschool, afterschool, senior wellness and upward mobility programs. For more information on both organizations, please visit www.nationalcore.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nationalcore.
Contact: Steve Lambert, The 20/20 Network
(909) 841-7527/ steve@the2020network.com