ENP Blog

Housing In Fresno

July 1, 2022 Desiree Sedano ENP News

ENP is a part of the Mayor’s Faith-Based Council. Recently the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Planning Department, and several local community-based organizations shared on the Fresno housing crisis. We need churches, community members, and organizations to think creatively and proactively to create more housing. We encourage you to read the presentation and various stories of communities’ responses to this national problem. We believe God cares about all folks and wants everyone to have a safe place to rest. We invite you to consider how you can be a part of the solution.

Central Fresno Neighborhood Trust Project

Pocketeer Program

Volunteer to build a Pocket Shelter for a local Homeless Rescue Mission.

Click here to register to work.

*** Due to heat and an extremely busy factory, The Pocketeer Team will be postponed until the fall. We very much appreciate your willingness to spend a Saturday working to provide housing for the homeless in your community. We look forward to seeing you in the fall! ***

Housing Strategy

“An Inclusive, Prosperous, Beautiful City where people Take Pride in their Neighborhoods and Community. A Government that Listens, Keeps its Promises, and is Owned by the People – We Work For You”
– One Fresno Vision

Resources

Housing: Congregational Resources and Models

David Lewicki: Called to the ministry of affordable housing.

Yes in God’s Back Yard wants to build homes for those most in need of them.

Affordable housing rises where a church building once stood.

Houses of faith are building affordable housing on their properties.

Developing Affordable Housing Through Faith-Based Partnerships.

Movement to build affordable housing on church land reaches Florida.

Untapped Potential Between Faith and Housing.

Opinion: Survey of Palo Alto faith leaders points to new affordable housing possibilities.

Virtual Literacy Mentoring Program: It’s Hard to Say Goodbye

July 1, 2022 Andrea Ricci Literacy

As we come to the end of another school year, and after making the tough decision to transition solely back to in-classroom mentoring, we’ve been reflecting on all that was accomplished these past couple years through the Virtual Literacy Mentoring Program.

Juneteenth LivingUNDIVIDED Celebration

June 15, 2022 andrewfeil ENP News

Join ENP in celebrating Juneteenth with LivingUNDIVIDED! Join us Monday, June 20, 9:00-10:30am.

Juneteenth is a symbolic representation of the change that can be made when we come together. We celebrate and recognize the important place it has in our national history and on our federal calendar because we know God’s heart for Jubilee.

The time for action is now! LivingUNDIVIDED Summer and Fall cohorts aren’t too far off and this is the time for you to be the hero your community needs. Use your influence to rally some people together for the LivingUNDIVIDED or WorkingUNDIVIDED experiences. When you’re interested in talking to someone about hosting a cohort, let us know. My team is at the ready to walk alongside you as you lead others toward racial healing, solidarity and justice.

2022 Summer Resources

May 26, 2022 Sabrina Rodarte ENP News

Are your kids looking for something to do this summer? Check out this page full of summer learning resources, summer camps, and other fun activities that they will love!

Reading and Learning

Fresno County Library events and competitions:

Summer at the Library Events

Fresno Unified:

Summer Camps
Sora App – online reading access for Fresno Unified students:
Summer School Sites (reach out to your child’s school site to enroll):

Online Learning Site Resources:

Online Summer Learning Camps
Heidi Songs – high frequency word songs
ENP Read Alouds – books read by mentors
Education.com – sight word games
ABCya – sight word games and more!
Arbolabc.com – Español
Starfall – books and games by grade level, Kinder-3rd grade!
Online Books – see our newsletter for links to many different sites that have free resources
Flocabulary – create a “Free Trial” account and get access to many reading lessons that include videos and pdfs
Valley PBS – watch local Fresno Unified teachers and use some of their ideas or watch the videos live with your student

Book Bins Map

Little Free Libraries Map

Summer Activities

City of Fresno:

Search online for camps, classes, etc OR call 559-621-PLAY (7529) OR follow on Facebook

Camp Fresno:

Free Summer Camps for 1,000 youth ages 8-17 years old. Sign up here Interest form.

PAID Summer Camps in Fresno:

Martin Park VBS:

Online Search Tool for upcoming kid events:

Planet Fitness:

Planet Fitness is offering free workouts for high school teen students all summer 2022. Click for more information.

Do you know of any other kid activities happening in Fresno this summer? Email us at info@everyneighborhood.org and we’ll add them to this list!

Food Near You

Central California Food Bank is here to help you get access to the food you need. To find a food distribution near you, utilize our daily calendar, enroll in CalFresh, or sign-up for a pick-up.

Food Locator: Find food distribution partners near you.

Food Distribution Calendar: Find Neighborhood Markets, Mobile Pantries, and USDA Commodities partners by date.

Groceries 2 Go: Schedule a pick-up appointment at our Groceries 2 Go location Monday – Friday (7am-4pm) or at one of our satellite locations near you (hours vary by location). Schedule Appointment Here

Need help enrolling in CalFresh: Our CalFresh team can help!

Enroll in CalFresh

Neighborhood News – May Update

May 25, 2022 Gabrielle Piceno ENP News

Hello ENP Family & Friends,

You are going to notice something on display in this newsletter. This is a story-driven newsletter. Stories about the ways our volunteers and staff are intersecting with people in the schools and neighborhoods that make up our wonderful city.

I am encouraged because it is the simple act of being present and willing to enter into space with one another to pursue transformation. You will also notice we have changed the name of one of our departments. With our expansion to working with 100 paid Fresno State Students through College Corp (Blog Here!) we felt like merging Literacy and Recreation all under School Support made the most sense!

Please read these stories and recognize that because of your gifts in finances, volunteer hours, and community support of ENP this work is possible.

Dominick, Isabella, Mariah, Sylvia, Jason, Ana, MJ, and Emily are all impacted because you believe and invest in us. Thank you and please don’t stop!

Give here to continue this work.

Executive Director, Every Neighborhood Partnership

60 NEW Positions Available for Students to Make a Difference while Paying for College

May 18, 2022 Ashley Goldsmith ENP News, Jobs, Literacy, Saturday Sports, Serving Our Schools

Fresno State and Every Neighborhood Partnership Collaborate to Launch #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Program

Through a new State initiative, Every Neighborhood Partnership will host 60 Fresno State students (in addition to 40 Read Fresno students) who will serve as literacy mentors in classrooms, run after-school reading intervention programs, and support Saturday Sports at eight local K-12 schools.

The #CaliforniansforAll College Corps initiative is the first of its kind, designed to create opportunities for low-income, first-generation college students to graduate college debt-free while empowering them to serve in their communities. College Corps Fellows will receive up to $10,000 for a total of 450 hours of community service hours during the academic year.

Fresno State was chosen as one of the 48 partner colleges for the College Corps program and has selected Every Neighborhood Partnership as one of the organizations their students will work with.

Students who complete the College Corps program will receive:

$10,000 ($7,000 living stipend broken into monthly distributions during the academic year, plus a $3,000 Education Award)
Academic credit
Real-world job experience to add to a resume
Training, networking and professional development opportunities

The first cohort of College Corps Fellows will begin in August 2022. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Learn more and apply to be a College Corps Fellow by visiting the Central Valley College Corps website here or contacting Mellissa Jessen-Hiser at mjessen@csufresno.edu.

Register for One Small Step

May 5, 2022 andrewfeil Events, Perspectives

If you are like me, you sense a growing divide in our country, state, and cities. We are at each other’s throats!

ENP has always been about the work of creating spaces for people from various backgrounds to cross paths, build relationships, and co-create the community that we want to live in.

ENP and StoryCorps welcomes residents in the Fresno/Central Valley area to apply to be matched with fellow residents from across the political divide for conversations about their lives – not about politics – through One Small Step. The conversation invites two people who don’t know each other—and may not think they have anything in common—to take a moment to discover their shared humanity. Let’s heal our community one courageous conversation at a time.

New Project Aims to Combat Unhealthy Conditions in Southwest Fresno

April 23, 2022 Ashley Goldsmith ENP News, Serving Our Neighborhoods

In 2012, a Fresno State study led by Dr. John Capitman found that residents living in Southwest Fresno live roughly twenty years less than those in wealthier parts of the city. The issues contributing to this disparity are complex, multi-faceted, and interconnected. Two of these factors, environmental hazards and limited access to nutritious foods, have produced exceptionally poor health conditions for residents of this neighborhood.

Southwest Fresno families must travel outside of the community to access quality produce. This required travel contributes to Southwest Fresno being one of the unhealthiest air quality regions in the Fresno metropolitan area. A lack of access to healthy, readily-available food contributes to significant and detrimental health effects such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disorders.

Southwest Holistic Health Project

Through the Southwest Holistic Health Project, Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) is working to address these issues.

The Southwest Holistic Health Project’s objective is to improve the overall health and well-being of residents by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through local, quality food options. Providing further access points to healthy fruits and vegetables will allow residents to travel by vehicle less, thus reducing the carbon footprint and increasing the life expectancy of residents in Southwest Fresno. The project involves two key components: 1) the development of community gardens and 2) education on food insecurity and healthy eating. ENP has received a $75,000 grant through the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program to carry out a demonstration program which will launch the Southwest Holistic Health Project.

Resources to help your church discern its time and place

April 22, 2022 Gabrielle Piceno Equipping

Information provided by FPU Center for Community Transformation’s webinar, A Church Discerning Its Time and Place.

Asset Based Community Development and How Organizations Implement It for Neighborhood Transformation

April 15, 2022 Germán Quiñonez Perspectives

Every Neighborhood Partnership is rooted in a framework called Asset Based Community Development or ABCD for short. Any Community Based Organization that believes in Asset Based Community Development starts with a basic premise that local communities can do more together by choosing to focus on what they have — their gifts, talents, and community assets — instead of what they are missing.* Imagine how you view a glass of water that is half-way filled up. Is it empty or full?

ABCD is a way of both strengthening community social capital and organizing community change. While this serves as an initial baseline for how asset-based inspired organizations approach the work of community engagement, not all organizations that adopt the ABCD methodology end with the same goals.