Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

Indio, California 201501-129

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps
Class 21a Green 6
11/6/2014 12/19/2014

The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

- Vince Lombardi

AmeriCorps NCCC Pacific Region

3427 Laurel Street
McClellan, CA 95652

AmeriCorps NCCC Mission Statement

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps will strengthen
communities and develop leaders through team-based national and
community service.

AmeriCorps Pledge
I will get things done for America to make our people safer, smarter
and healthier.
I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me, this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member and I will
GET THINGS DONE!

DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Green 6 would like to dedicate this Round 1 portfolio to the Coachella Valley Housing
Coalition for serving the community within the valley at such an excellent rate. Their true
dedication and commitment is shown through their hard work over the years of developing
new communities for low income families. In addition, CVHC has not only been able to
develop new communities but allow AmeriCorps NCCC to be part of the new movement they
have created for the Valley. They have shown the team nothing more than great hospitality
and support.

This portfolio is also dedicated to the hardworking migrant farmers who are on the
journey to create a stable lifestyle for themselves and their families. It is dedicated to the
migrant farmers children who shadow the struggles of their parents- constantly moving,
language barrier, and finding a place they can call theirs.

Table of Contents
Mission Statement and Pledge

Dedications and Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

History of the Community

Project Mission & Goals

AmeriCorps NCCC's Role

Daily Schedule

Description of Service Learning

Project Accomplishments

Pluses

10

Even Better If's

10

Materials Used and Suggestions for Other Teams

11

Team Position Details

11

Reflections

15

Helpful Tips for Future Teams

19

Appendices

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) is a non-profit organization put in place to
help low and very low income families achieve home ownership. CVHC helps improve living
conditions for families that wouldnt otherwise have the opportunity. Also CVHC helps these
families start from square one with rebuilding credit once there credit is up to par they start
construction and the building process.
CVHC is raising the quality of life for hard working low income families, one
neighborhood at a time. CVHC was started when the community decided that there needed to
be better housing for farm workers.
Green six was brought in to help CVHC and their families build their houses starting
from the ground with footers and ending the houses with landscaping. Green six worked on
two different housing locations. The team started the round by roofing tiles and leveling
driveways and we moved to another area and started the footings of the houses so they could
be ready for foundations.
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HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY
Jason L. Rector was the first person to build a permanent home in Coachella. In 1884
he went to San Diego and got into the butcher and cattle business. Through that he got a job
working for Southern Pacific Railroad Company and the A. N. Towne Estate. The town of
Coachella didn't get any real establishments until Jason L. Rector developed a mesquite
wood terminal on a Southern Pacific Railroad where the wood was hauled to Los Angeles to
be sold. The town was called Woodspur for the first three years of its existence. Mr. Rector
then moved on and pursued his plan to survey the valley and he decided to dig a well to see if
there was any water available in the area for irrigation. With the help of his brother Lon they
dug a well 4 miles east of Indio and 550 feet deep and they found a fine pure artesian water
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well. The discovery of water sparked settlement in the area. After the townsite was proposed
they were trying to pick a name and they were going to call it Rector in their honor but he
declined and insisted they call it Conchilla from the Spanish meaning "Land of the Little
Shells" named for all the little shells found in the area. But when the developers sent the
prospectus to the printers the printers spelled it Coachella on accident and the Rectors just
went with it. That is how the city and the valley got the name Coachella.

The Coachella Valley was considered a rural area for a long time. As the Coachella Valley
Housing Coalition (CVHC) started to build more homes with income based mortgages, more
and more people wanted to live in the area. Today there is a wait list that can last anywhere
from 1 to 4 years before the applicants get to start working on their houses. The CVHC
started building homes for farmworkers and other low-income families in 1982 with a $10,000
grant from the Aetna Foundation. They are now a non-profit organization with a yearly budget
that reaches into the multi-million dollar range. The housing CVHC provides is making a huge
dent in helping the community solve the problem of unaffordable and unreliable housing, as
well as illegal pop-up trailer parks.
PROJECT MISSION AND GOALS
Green 6 spent their round with Coachella Valley Housing Coalition both working on
housing sites and serving at one of their sponsored YMCA programs. The overall goal for
Green 6 this project was to partner with CVHC in the mission of improving the quality of life
for low-income families by assisting in the building of houses and working with their children.
Specific goals that Green 6 had during the round were to help CVHC complete work on a Los
the Los Jardines housing site as it was nearing completion when we arrived. The tasks
involved in accomplishing this goal included roof tiling, landscaping, preparing for driveways
to be laid, and painting. Green 6 also had the goal during this round to help with the start of
the Bellisima housing site. This involved digging trenches, and laying rebar to prepare for
house foundations.

At the YMCA the goals for Green 6 included providing support for children in
completing their homework, monitoring and helping improve peer interactions, and developing
relationships with the children as a way to be more effective role models and mentors.
AMERICORPS NCCC'S ROLE
During Round 1, Green 6 worked with the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC)
to aid migrant workers and low-income families to build their in homes. In collaboration with
the YMCA, CVHC also provides after school programs located at complexes built by the
coalition. AmeriCorps NCCC also spent time working at these after school programs, where
they tutored students of all ages, participated in games and activities, helped prepare snacks,
and assisted the YMCA staff in any other duties.
The majority of time Green 6 spent in Indio, CA, they worked at the housing sites and
alongside CVHC staff, supervisors, and future homeowners. Green 6 had the opportunity of
working at two different construction sites. The first site was in its last stages, and during the
project the houses were completed and moved into. The work at the first site included tiling
roofs, installing lawn sprinklers, landscaping, interior painting of houses, preparing driveways
and walkways for concrete pouring.
The second site was barely in its first stages of construction, and Green 6 worked
mainly on preparing the properties for concrete pouring and create the foundations for the
new homes. To prepare for the foundation, the team was digging 12 x 20 trenches around
the perimeter of the future house, leveling the dirt inside the perimeter, laying out plastic over
the leveled dirt, then shoveling and leveling another few inches of dirt on top of the plastic.

DAILY SCHEDULE
Tuesday - Friday
7:00am - 11:00am Work
11:00am - 2:00pm Siesta/lunch
2:00pm - 6:00 pm Work
(Half of the team at YMCA)
Saturday
7:00am - 10:00 am Work
10:00am - 11:00am Lunch
11:00am - 2:00pm Work
Sunday - Monday
Days off
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE LEARNING
Upon arrival to Indio, California, Green 6 met with sponsors Brian and Deanna for
orientation. Orientation included the history of Coachella Housing Coalition and an in depth
explanation of their mission statement and how it is carried out. The team watched a short
video about the organization and were introduced to many of the CVHC staff. After this formal
meeting, Green 6 was taken on a tour around the Coachella and Mecca communities. The
team was exposed to low-income families and their living conditions. Afterwards, Green 6 got
a first look of the housing worksites in which they would be working.
During the round daily trainings were also provided, since Green 6 was assigned a
variety of tasks throughout the project. Some of these included how to measure for and place
roof tiles, and how to lay rebar for reinforced concrete foundations. The construction
supervisor, Brian, met with Green 6 every Friday to have a debrief about the week. During the
debriefing, each Green 6 corps member discussed their favorite parts of the week and even
better ifs. Possible solutions to the even better ifs were also discussed.
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The Service Learning Initiators of Green 6 facilitated a total of five service learning
activities throughout the round. The first few, the I Am Poem and What's in a Name?, were
used for ice breakers among the team. The SLIs also read Plight of a Migrant Worker, a
poem about the struggles and feelings of being a migrant worker. The poem was followed by
an open discussion about migrant workers, their struggles, and how the service project
changed them as a team and individual. SLIs also arranged a total of two diversity activities
for the team. One was Define My Identity and the other included the movie Crash followed
by open discussion on diversity and the stereotypes that all races face every day.
PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Roof tiled: 4,960 tiles, 5,020 nails

Walls painted: 87

Driveways: 8 (25x 16) = 400 sq. ft and Walkways: (4x 6) = 1,030.4 sq. ft

Leveling: 16x (2x for each driveway, leveled dirt, then leveled sand)

Leveled Sand: 140 ton= 280,000 pounds

Landscaping: (5 x 8) + (10 x 16) = 2,400 sq ft

Leveled sand: 2,000 lbs.

Trenches (12x 8) dug for irrigation systems: 96

Tree pits (3 x 2) dug : 10

Trees Planted: 10

Monkey Grass Planted: 60

Rose Pots Planted: 60

Small plants of other varieties planted: 144

Holes (2 x 1) dug for gallon pipes: 12

Exterior vents and trim painted: 6 houses

Created foundations for 10 houses

Trenches (20 x 12) dug : 110

Leveled ground: 10 houses

Laid rebar: 10 houses

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Average number of children tortured weekly at YMCA: 42

PLUSES

The staff and work supervisors were extremely helpful and nice during the round. They
gave us a lot of good info on what there was to do in the local area and also kept us
busy on the worksite.

Working with the kids at the YMCA was both challenging and rewarding for many of us.
For those of us who werent used to being around kids, we were able to build and grow
in this area.

Being active in the community through ISP events. We were also invited to attend other
events (parade, luncheons, hikes, etc.) through connections that we established with
residents and staff.

Learning how to build a house from the ground-up!

Assimilating to Hispanic culture was something fresh and new to many of us. Going to
an area where the majority of the population speaks Spanish as the primary language
was a bit challenging, although the project sponsors and supervisors all spoke English
well. Overall, we all had a great experience. Migrant workers are needed in this area to
support the livelihood that we all know and love. Our country wouldnt be the same
without them. Helping them to build their homes was a great chance to give back.

EVEN BETTER IF'S

Rocks and other small objects were thrown at our apartment by some of the
neighborhood youth. This problem has been an issue in the past with other teams as
well. Being relocated to another apartment in the area is something that may be taken
into consideration for future teams.

We had really looked forward during the round to being able to see the keys to the
houses handed off to the families when the houses were completed, but unfortunately
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due to scheduling and other work that needed to be completed at another work site, we
were not able to be present.

It would have been even better if we had been able to have a reserved parking spot at
our housing for our van as multiple times we had difficulty finding parking and had to
park further away from our apartment.

MATERIALS USED AND SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER TEAMS

Tools and Materials Used - hammers, shovels, wheel barrows, pick matic, axe matic,
rock bar, chipping paddle, hoses, PVC pipes, primer, paint brushes and rollers, tar, roof tiles,
and skill saws.

PPE Used - gloves, boots, hard hats, safety glasses, coveralls,

Other PPE to consider - Future teams should be prepared to work long hours in the
sunlight with tempters reaching 80 degrees and higher. Green 6 usually wore long pants and
long sleeve shirts while working to minimize exposure of skin to the sun. Sunblock was also
used to lower risk of team members getting sunburned.

It is recommended that future teams bring a drink cooler of water to the work site as
source to refill water bottles and make sure all team members have their water bottles with
them as water was not always available at the work site.
TEAM POSITION DETAILS
Media Representative - Mindy Stevens, Dari Faulkner: Green 6 Media Representatives do
not have any media hits this round. For the common ground article submitted during the
round, a I Am poem was submitted that combined a couple lines from individual poems that
each member of Green 6 made. The poem represented the team as a whole and the unique
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people that make up it.

Project Outreach Liaison - Emily Tran: The Green 6 POL completed a community event
activity through partnering with the teams SLIs. The activity was called Define my Identity.
This activity created dialogue discussion about what diversity means to Green 6. Green 6s
POL coordinated all four completed ISPs for Green 6. The ISPs were Marthas Village and
Kitchen, Marthas Village Thanksgiving 5K, Mojave Desert and Land Trust, and the Tamale
Festival. Potential ISPs were supposed to be the Narrow Door, Save a Pet, and Joshua Tree.
All of those opportunities, unfortunately, conflicted with Green 6s time and work schedule.
The POL discovered that finding potential future sponsor organizations for NCCC is easier
when the team first engages and develops a relationship with the organization through
participating in ISPs. It allows them to gain a better knowledge of NCCC and see the
members in action and the benefits that could provide. The POL for Green 6 recommends
that future POLs should prepare a pitch to utilize in e-mail and phone calls with organizations
and ISP contacts.

Peer Helper - Miranda Newton, Richard Wendricks: Throughout the round the Green 6
peer helpers conducted two meetings for their activities. One occurred at the beginning of the
round and one at end. The purpose for the meetings were to provide an opportunity to open
the floor for questions, comments and concerns from the team members. This gave the Corps
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members time to open up about the things that were bothering them. Another reason was
because of the teams dynamics. Green 6 is full of very strong personalities, so they decided
as a team that it was best to put everything on the table. The peer helpers created an
anonymous questions, comments and concerns box that they located in the teams common
area. Once a week would look at them and try to address and find a solution for the
members.
Recruiter - Jordan Spivak, Spencer Breece: Green 6 had two formal recruiting events
during this round. The first was at the Shepard of The Valley United Method Church, where
four corps members addressed a small youth group that was a part of the church. The second
event was at Coachella Valley High School, where three other corps members presented to 6
periods and a total of 150 students. The team recruiters contacted Mr. Lopez, a counselor at
Coachella Valley High School, to set up the event. Mr. Lopezs email is mlopez@cvusd.us,
and he was very helpful with the event and familiar with AmeriCorps NCCC.
Service Learning Initiator - Dari Faulkner, Roland Zanders: SLIs facilitated a total of five
activities for Green 6. These activities consisted of I Am poems, Whats in a Name, Migrant
Worker poem and discussion, Define my Identity, and watching the movie Crash followed by a
discussion on diversity. The dialogue discussions allowed the team to be aware of their
surroundings, their effect on the community, and the diversity within the team. Potential
activities were a visit to the Coachella Valley History Museum. Dari Faulkner recommends
that future teams should focus more on breaking the barrier within their team.

Physical Training Coordinator (Leanne Albro, David Ratzloff): Green 6 usually held PT
sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 6:30-7:15pm, after returning from work,
with the exception of an occasional hike on the weekends. Green 6 utilized a hiking guide
provided by Brian, the construction supervisor. Green 6 went on the Ladder Trail at Painted
Canyon, near Mecca, and the Bump and Grind trail, near Palm Desert. Green 6 took
advantage of the large fields located around the apartment complex to do PT most days.
Zumba was also an activity that the team incorporated into PT a couple of times, by finding a
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few free Zumba classes offered at local community centers. These classes were found by
searching on the Desert Recreation District website (http://www.myrecreationdistrict.com/).
Overall, the team improved a lot since CTI in both push-ups and sit-ups. The PT coordinators
recorded the team members times and numbers weekly for 1 minute of push-ups, sit-ups and
.4 mile run. These stats were posted in the teams common area as a way to keep track of
progress. Running was at the core of many workouts so Green 6 is interested to see how
much they have progressed individually on the 1.5 mile run for baseline.

Vehicle Safety and Tools Coordinator (Spencer Breece, Jordan Spivak): Green 6s
vehicle tools and safety coordinators accomplished a few goals that were made this round.
The coordinators decided to create van rules for the team. These rules consisted of the basic
safety guidelines that already existed, such as all members in van must wear a safety belt,
and the driver cannot go over 65mph. They also made a few other specialty rules, e.g., no
feet on anything except the floor, no food or drinks/garbage left in van, and all
backpacks/book bags/any type of baggage has to be placed in trunk. These are just a few
examples of the 13 basic rules that were set. The coordinators posted these rules in the van
via a printed piece of paper and tape. The VST coordinators also held a daily morning safety
meeting on workdays reviewing weather conditions for the day, naming one rule out of the
VST guideline section in the planner, and reviewing the safety precautions and proper usage
of tools that will be used that day.
Environmental Liaison (David Ratzloff, Alex Green): Green 6 focused mainly on recycling
for the first round. Items recycled included cardboard, #1 and #2 plastics, tin, aluminum, and
glass. With the money that the team collected from recycling, Green 6 bought two cloth bags
that we used for grocery shopping. In the future, the team would like to do something social
(bowling, ice cream, etc.) with the recycling money that we collect. Liaisons also reminded
corps members about power usage and how to conserve energy by keeping electronics
unplugged when not in use. To finish the round, the environmental liaisons planned a hike for
Green 6 up to the Salton Sea Overlook and discussed both the human and natural
environmental impact on the Salton Sea.
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Life After Americorps Representative (Leanne Albro): This round the LAA representative
conducted a networking activity with the team members of Green 6 that focused on
developing personal elevator speeches. This was aimed to help corps members have a way
of presenting themselves and their work with AmeriCorps NCCC in a way that connects with
their future plans and interests. Green 6 also had an informational interview with John F.
Mealy, the executive director of CVHC and Deanna Mendoza, the executive assistant. This
provided the opportunity for the team to learn more about administrative roles in a non-profit
organization. The LAA Representative also conducted one-on-one meetings with the
individuals on Green 6 to discuss and update their LAA goals and get feedback on what
could be more beneficial in the future.
REFLECTIONS
Ana Rivera

Leanne Albro
Looking back on this round, I feel that it was a great growing experience for me
because it challenged my assumptions, provided me new experiences and helped me gain
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greater interpersonal awareness. I had originally not looked forward to living in the desert
because I am so used to being near trees and water. Upon arriving in the Coachella Valley I
instantly fell in love with the view of the mountains. They seemed ever-changing, as they
looked different every morning depending on the weather, but they always remained majestic.
Although we did not get to do framing of a house, as I had anticipated, I feel as though I
learned a lot about different stages of construction and how much effort and time is put into
building a house. I loved the site supervisors and the YMCA employees that we worked with
because it was evident through their attitudes that they loved their jobs. It was so encouraging
to see the passion and enjoyment that people can have when they so strongly believe in the
purpose of the organization they are working for. It was so much fun during the round to be
able to become more immersed in the spanish culture. Highlights of this were randomly
incorporating Spanish words or phrases into our conversation, drinking horchata, and serving
at the International Tamale Festival.

Spencer Breece
I really enjoyed this round. I had a blast because I was already familiar with type of work
that we were doing with CVHC. I had previous experience in construction from jobs I held prior to
AmeriCorps. I also work well with my hands. I loved working with the kids at the YMCA as well.
They were a blast. I would recommend this project to any team.

Dari Faulkner

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Alex Green
It was the best cultural experience that I have ever been a part of. The people were
good, and I learned a lot of different things. This is an experience I will never forget.
Miranda Newton
I loved this project, I feel like it was very laid back, but it was very informational. CVHC
worked on tasks at a learning pace for the homeowners so it was very easy to catch on and
be able to help. Sometime I remember looking at something and thinking, I can't believe they
are letting us do this, but then once we go into it, it was very fun and enjoyable. CVHC
always had things for us to do and were very accommodating to the things we wanted to learn
about.
David Ratzloff
Overall, this has been a really great round for me. Being able to give back to the
farmers who grow and harvest the food so that I can eat is just awesome. I wasn't really a kid
person before I came here, but I think I've grown a bit more comfortable being around them
after tutoring and playing with them at the YMCA. The supervisors and CVHC staff are good
people with great hearts. They do meaningful work here. I was glad to be a part of that.

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Jordan Spivak
I really enjoyed my first round here in Indio, California. I not only met some unbelievable
people, but I also got a small taste for the lifestyle migrant farmers have to live. I was disappointed
that we were not able to have the opportunity to frame a house or be present when some of the
families received the keys to their completed homes, but i really enjoyed the variety of work we
did get to experience. Overall, Indio was definitely a great experience.

Mindy Stevens
I truly enjoyed this round because of the variety of work. It is really nice to have the
chance to work at a site and gain valuable construction experience, and then go and work
with children in the evening. I learned a lot about the struggles of low-income families and
migrant workers through personal experiences and SLI activities throughout the round.
Emily Tran

Richard Wendricks

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The work of this round was nothing like I expected or told it would be, but I still enjoyed
the people we got to meet and work with and the community we got to live in. The weather
was amazing and the scenery of the area could not have been much better. Even when it was
gloomy it was still very beautiful.

Roland Zanders
I felt that Coachella Valley Housing Coalition was very welcoming when we first came
to Indio and did a great job at orienting us to our project and the Indio area. It was a new
experience living in the desert and experiencing the hot temperatures during this time of the
year. My team and I enjoyed working tiling the roof for future homes in Coachella. I also
enjoyed working alongside our site supervisors, Mario and Fernando, as well as the
homeowners.. It was also enjoyable working with the children in the after school YMCA
program: developing relationships with them, helping them with their homework from school,
joining with them in fun activities, games and arts and crafts.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR FUTURE TEAMS

TKB Bakery & Deli was our favorite place to eat lunch. The employees are really
awesome and the food is delicious.

For food the team grocery shopped at the Winco off of Hwy 111, and often went to the
Walmart Superstore on Monroe St.

Palm Deserts Westfield Mall is a fun mall to hang out at with a Barnes & Noble for
WiFi, a food court, and plenty of stores. There are hikes near that area too and more
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shopping areas.

On Sundays, movies are only $6.50 at the Regal Entertainment Group Indio Metro 8.

The Library in Mecca closes at 6pm and has WiFi

Laundry at housing is open from 8am 8 pm. Washing costs $1.25, Drying costs $1.00

***If youre coming back from Walmart, Winco, or that general area, DO NOT go on the
10 East. Keep right for the 86 Express Way/Dillon Street. If you go on the 10 E youll
have to drive about 40 miles before the next exist.

The Salton Sea is full of and smells like dead fish. Worth visiting once and seeing, but
dont expect it to be a place that you can swim or want to hang out at.

Corps Members occasionally attended the Shepard of The Valley United Method
Church for Sunday Service.

For more information about our round and team, visit greensix.weebly.com.

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