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.
Food Assistance Reaches San Diego Seniors
A carton of milk, two cans of chicken, a jar of peanut butter and bags of beans help Dale, 74, make it through the week with meals on the table. Dale, a Talmadge Senior Village resident, said his budget can’t get him the groceries he needs to survive. “We’re living...
More Stories of Hope
Making Summit View Feel Like Home
Austin once shared a converted garage with five other men. Tiffany experienced homelessness for six years. Charice went four years without stable housing. Today, each has a home at Summit View. The National CORE community, which opened earlier this year, provides...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
Building Community, One Holiday Meal at a Time
Nearly 150 people gathered for a warm and lively fall celebration, filling the room with smells of roasted turkey, buttery yams and mashed potatoes piled high. Residents savored ice cream, pie and laughter. More than 90 National CORE residents from Day Creek Senior...
When Everything Piled Up, Hope Stepped In
This dad was one crisis away from losing his home Jarvis became a father at 15, long before most of us know who we want to be. From that moment on, his life revolved around his son, Christian. He worked, finished high school, enrolled in college and held tight to one...
A Family Forced to Choose Between Food and Shelter
Some families fight to hold on – long before anyone sees the crisis. Cassandra and Joaquin were doing all they could to keep their two children fed and housed. Yet each month, they had to make an impossible choice: buy food or keep a roof over their heads. When the...
CORE Academy Celebrates Largest Graduating Class Yet
Fourteen graduates proudly received their Property Management certificates this October, marking CORE Academy’s largest workforce development class to date. The graduation celebrated weeks of dedication and growth, with participants gaining new skills, confidence and...
Spreading Hope, One Thank-You at a Time
Following this year’s Evening of Hope Gala, more than 35 volunteers from U.S. Bank came together to create over 300 heartfelt thank-you cards for our donors and partners — a gesture of gratitude for the generosity and support that make our mission at Hope through...
2025 Olen Jones I Am Hope Winner – Marisela Gerez
The Olen Jones I Am Hope Award honors those rare individuals who embody the very heart of National CORE and Hope through Housing. It recognizes employees whose passion, dedication and compassion transform lives every day – those who carry our mission not just in their...
Daniel R. Fauske Founders Award – Frank Williams
Explore the prestigious founder award honoring Daniel R. Fauske and the dedication to affordable housing and community strength.
2025 Housing Advocate of the Year – Marina Wiant
Our Housing Advocate of the Year award is a rare honor, reserved for those whose leadership has profoundly advanced the cause of affordable housing. It recognizes visionaries whose work not only shapes policy, but also transforms lives – ensuring that families,...
CSUSB Students Build Community Through Compassion
Across America, seniors often go without essential medical care, hindered by isolation, lack of transportation and the challenges of finding a doctor or trying to schedule appointments. For six years, Hope through Housing has addressed this critical need head-on,...
Red Stone Equity Partners – 2025 Financial Partner of the Year
It is with great pleasure that we announce Red Stone Equity Partners as our Financial Partner of the Year, recognizing the firm’s pivotal role in National CORE’s national expansion program. For more than five years, the Red Stone team has helped National CORE navigate...