Stories of Hope
Impacting Real People. Everyday.
Hope through Housing’s work is all about people and we know we’ve been successful when we witness life changing in individual lives. Following are just a few of our most recent stories of resident success and program highlights.
Jonny Finds His Community Through Senior Fit
Five years ago, Jonny moved into Village at Sierra, a National CORE affordable housing community, without knowing anyone. “I was a loner,” said Jonny, 63. Then he noticed Senior Fit. Jonny walked over to the class and stopped in the doorway. Inside, residents were...
More Stories of Hope
Read with Kids Turns Stories into Life Lessons
Ten-year-old Joie knows what she would tell Chrysanthemum’s classmates. “We shouldn’t make fun of other people’s names because everyone’s name is cool,” she said. Joie was one of the young readers across six National CORE affordable housing communities who recently...
Healthy Cooking Builds Confidence and Connection
One by one, Lynda Roman pulled fresh vegetables from her grocery bags as residents at Village at Sierra gathered around to learn how to make vegetarian paella. Lynda chopped and added each ingredient to the pan while demonstrating safe cutting techniques, explaining...
Helping Girls Enter the School Year with Confidence
The years between elementary school and high school can be some of the most challenging for girls. As friendships change, social pressures grow and self-doubt begins to creep in, many start questioning who they are and where they fit in. To help girls navigate that...
Kids Discover Their Inner Artists
Paintbrushes swept across 18 canvases as children blended shades of blue, pink, orange and yellow into colorful sunsets. At the front of the room, Efrain Aguiar of Empire Arts demonstrated each new step. His daughter, Cassandra, moved between easels, helping young...
Young Artists Bring Luminous Journey to Life
Children leaned over butterfly-shaped glass, carefully adding spoonfuls of color to each wing and watching their designs take shape. Thirty children at Sunset Heights, a National CORE affordable housing community, created individual glass butterflies for Luminous...
Healthy Futures Initiative Wraps Up Summer of Soccer
The final whistle has sounded on a summer of soccer through Hope through Housing's Healthy Futures Initiative. The two-day Upland soccer camp brought 65 children together with Empire Strykers players Aug. 10 and 11 for the final stop in a series of free camps held...
When Students Ask for More Reading
After a full day in the classroom, the last thing many students want is another assignment. At Hope through Housing's after-school programs, ReadTheory has students asking for more. The online literacy program gives students reading passages and quizzes tailored to...
A Head Start on the School Year at Hawthorne Terrace
Back-to-school shopping adds up quickly. For Carlest, a mother of five children ages 8 to 18, Hope through Housing's annual back-to-school event has helped ease that expense for four years. "It means a lot because I'm on a budget and it helps me not stress," Carlest...
Money Match Helps Single Mother Build Savings
Erika has always focused on just making it to the next paycheck. Rent. Bills. Groceries. As a 32-year-old single mother of three, every dollar had a purpose. Saving didn't feel possible. "I always had just enough for my bills and my car payment, nothing else," she...
Senior Fit Program Helps Residents Stay Independent
The ability to carry groceries, pick up the TV remote or get dressed without help can easily be taken for granted. As people age, those everyday tasks become increasingly difficult. Through Hope through Housing's Senior Fit program, residents are building the...
Verve Community Helps Rancho Verde Village Families Prepare for School
Back-to-school shopping can quickly become one of the biggest expenses of the year for families. For children at the Rancho Verde Village affordable housing community, Verve Community helped make that burden a little lighter. For the third consecutive year, Verve...
Healthy Futures Initiative Expands Access to Preventive Care
Routine health screenings can require scheduling an appointment and paying out of pocket. But now individuals can access free screenings from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health at events hosted by Hope through Housing as part of the new Healthy...
Free Career Training Opens New Doors
With a wife and four children between the ages of 7 and 14 depending on him, Anthony's family needed the kind of long-term stability his career couldn't provide. After 15 years as a barber, he began looking for a path that offered a more secure future. "I need...
From the Classroom to the Winery
Gerald’s girlfriend left for work with one request: Put the dresser together before she got home. Gerald looked at the box, the instruction booklet and the bags of screws. "You know I can't put this together." By the time she returned, only a couple of screws had...
A New Career Starts with CORE Academy
A single conversation changed Yvett’s future. After losing her job at an Amazon warehouse, Yvett began worrying about how she would support her family. "I started to stress about everything," she said. "How was I going to pay rent? Was I going to lose my housing? Lose...
CORE Academy Internship Program Launches Careers
Excellence in collaboration. That’s the hallmark of CORE Academy’s fourth cohort of marketing interns – a trio of individuals who learned skills in social media, podcast production and videography this spring. "This was the strongest cohort we've had," said...
Discovering New Possibilities at Hope through Housing’s STEM Fair
https://youtu.be/PXzaXK3z4ns?si=hzmFWspWikK41eCd Children crowded around a conveyor belt loaded with fake produce, cans, cardboard and plastic, sorting the everyday items into recycling, organic waste and trash. They celebrated when they got the answers right and...
Hooked in Haven Youth Sell Out Handmade Bags at Beauty, Bubbles & Bites
Volunteers were still unpacking boxes for this year’s Beauty, Bubbles & Bites event when a woman approached the Hooked in Haven table and bought four handmade crocheted bags. Before the station was fully set up, seven bags had sold. Musbah, 10, Hila, 11, and Sana,...
Healthy Futures Initiative Kicks Off Summer on the Soccer Field
Orange cones stretched across Veterans Memorial Park in Ontario as children weaved through drills, celebrated goals and chased soccer balls across the grass. Nearby, parents unfolded lawn chairs while Empire Strykers players greeted young athletes with encouragement...
Hope through Housing Scholarships Help Students Pursue Careers That Strengthen Communities
Building Bright Futures Scholarship Helps Students Turn Dreams Into Careers From emergency medicine and school psychology to labor law and nursing, this year's Building Bright Futures Scholarship recipients are pursuing careers focused on helping others overcome...
Hope through Housing Launches Free Training in Hospitality Services
CORE Academy Celebrates First Hospitality Program CORE Academy, Hope through Housing's free job-training program, has celebrated the graduation of 12 students from its first-ever hospitality cohort. The hospitality track joins CORE Academy programs in property...
BBF Scholar Pursues Nursing Dream After Fleeing Afghanistan
Aulia was lying on the ground outside Kabul's airport as gunfire erupted around her. It was August 2021, days after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. Thousands of people crowded the airport, hoping to escape the country. Among them was Aulia, then 13, and her...
2X Scholarship Winner Edges Closer to Medical Dreams
In the aftermath of a scooter collision, Trinity lay in the street, terrified that her broken thumb might crush her dreams of becoming a doctor. The injury required surgery, screws in her hand and months of physical therapy. But what Trinity, 21, remembers most is the...
Building Bright Futures Scholarship Helps Marcia Pursue Her Ph.D.
When Marcia Gonzalez was a child, one of her biggest inspirations was her younger brother, who struggled with speech challenges. Watching the care and support he received through speech therapy, special education and school psychologists showed her how deeply the...
Building Bright Futures Scholar Looks to Help Immigrants with Law Degree
When Fatima Hernandez-Reyes was in high school, she used to visit the Mexican Consulate in San Diego with her parents and see an endless parade of people begging for assistance after being exploited by their bosses at work. The now 19-year-old first-generation Mexican...
Building Bright Futures for the Next Generation
Growing up in low-income communities across Southern California, Leilani noticed something many people overlook. Some neighborhoods had parks and green spaces where children could safely play. Others did not. That contrast shaped the future she wants to create. ...
Eric Dickerson Learning Center Expands Youth Opportunities
Eric Dickerson Golf Tournament Supports Learning Center Hope through Housing’s Eric Dickerson Learning Center is a first-of-its-kind enrichment program for children and teens. As a result of strong community support, the program is expanding opportunities, building...
Financial Literacy Program Helps Resident Build Savings
When her car’s transmission failed, Ninfa faced a $2,400 repair she could not afford. That moment pushed her to take control of her finances and enroll in the Money Match financial literacy program. Before joining the program, saving consistently felt out of reach....
STEM Lab Fuels Curiosity and Connection
From slime-covered hands to bright tie-dyed creations, the children at San Antonio Vista buzzed with energy as they explored hands-on stations at the Montclair STEM Labs Science Fair.
Spring Harvest Expands Fresh Food Access for Affordable Housing Residents in San Diego
Hope through Housing Foundation’s Spring Harvest distributed fresh produce to thousands of low-income families and seniors across San Diego County, with 500+ volunteers filling bags of oranges, lemons, potatoes, and onions for residents in affordable housing communities throughout the region.
Eric Dickerson’s Vison for Empowering the Next Generation
On a recent episode of our Finding Your Inspiration podcast, Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson reflected on how his upbringing shaped his commitment to supporting young people. In the conversation, he speaks about the importance of helping children recognize...
Never Alone: Hope in Action
In 2025, Hope through Housing remained focused on a simple promise – no one should have to face hardship alone. The year was defined by meaningful impact and measurable progress across Southern California and Texas, strengthening communities, stabilizing families and...
Spark of Love Spreads Holiday Cheer to 400 Children
Four hundred children were dazzled into a frenzy when they walked into their very own winter wonderland – complete with a soap bubble “snow field,” holiday tunes, delicious tacos, toy giveaways and a visit from Santa Claus during the annual Spark of Love toy drive. ...
Pantry Program Provides Seniors with Healthy Food
When Ramona moved into National CORE’s Plaza at Sierra senior community four years ago, it felt like an answer to her prayers. She had been strained by rent, isolated and overwhelmed by the upkeep demands of her mobile home. At Plaza at Sierra, she found affordable...
Emergency Aid Helps Senior Hold onto Her Home
Like many retirees, Felesa lives on a limited Social Security income, leaving her vulnerable to unexpected expenses. Recently, ongoing medical expenses have sapped her ability to pay her rent – even at her affordable housing community. “This is the first time this has...
Making the Holidays Brighter for 200 Local Children
Lucas, a 10-year-old from an Ontario affordable housing community, was all smiles at the 18th annual Colonies Holiday Miracles on Dec. 13, when he shopped for toys, enjoyed holiday treats, made crafts and visited with Santa. Lucas was one of 200 children selected...