AMCAL affordable communities are more than safe and beautiful homes for residents—they offer steppingstones to a better life.
Since 2012, AMCAL has developed more than 70 affordable communities, and began developing affordable apartments in Texas starting in 2012, and in Washington starting in 2018. AMCAL is one of the most prolific builders of affordable communities in California, and takes great pride in giving residents the opportunity to improve their quality of life.
By empowering and educating residents about finance, computers and job and life skills, residents can move up to better jobs and home ownership. The goal is to create a stronger overall community by enriching individual households, which benefits all residents and the cities they call home.
LifeSTEPS & HOPE
AMCAL makes the dream of affordable housing possible and our non-profit partner, LifeSTEPS, helps sustain that dream by empowering individuals and communities to thrive.
LifeSTEPS delivers social services to serve low-wage earners living in affordable housing, including children, teens, and adults. The STEP in LifeSTEPS stands for ‘Skills Training and Educational Programs’ and is the heart of its mission.
Together, we created HOPE—Housing Opportunities and Personal Empowerment. Our partnership provides HOPE in many forms—valuable education programs and scholarships, intervention services that help families maintain housing, special grants, and funding. HOPE has served more than 10,000 residents in 44 California communities.
HOPE programs have achieved remarkable and heartwarming results.
More than $847,000 has been raised by the Partnership for HOPE fund in the past eight years for academic scholarships, emergency assistance, and youth enrichment. More than $573,000 in academic scholarships has been awarded with 42 college students graduated from college since the fund was started. AMCAL scholars have attended and graduated from such schools as UCLA; UC Irvine; Cal State University (SCU), Long Beach; and CSU, Northridge.
Three HOPE Scholars have gone on to attend graduate school.
A number of younger students (whose siblings are HOPE Scholars) are following in their older siblings’ footsteps by becoming HOPE Scholars as well.
The remainder of the funds is used for resident youth and senior services.
You can donate to the Partnership for HOPE here.
These results are directly tied to the generosity of our donors who have joined us in this important initiative to change lives and build better futures.
STORIES
Dulce – Academic Scholarship
Dulce has always dreamed of a better life. Growing up in the Coachella Valley, her parents spent endless hours working in the agriculture fields doing everything they could to provide for their family.
Watching her parents work through extreme conditions and seeing the toll it took on them, Dulce became even more determined to pursue higher education in order to break free from the binds of poverty.
With hard work and determination, instilled into her from her parents, Dulce was accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dulce could not be more excited about the offer! However, due to financial limitations and the lack of funds, Dulce feared that she would have to turn down her acceptance.
After hearing about the Partnership for HOPE Fund Academic Scholarship, Dulce knew that this was an opportunity she had to pursue. With her impressive application and letters of recommendation, Dulce was awarded a scholarship that would help her follow her dreams of a better life.
Dulce has completed her first year of college and looks forward to the rest of her academic career. Because of the Partnership for HOPE Fund, Dulce discovered a new sense of empowerment and hope – her future is blooming with possibilities!
Monica – Rental Assistance
Living paycheck to paycheck is never an ideal situation. For people like Monica, being able to pay bills on time and provide the essentials for her family was something she was proud of, even if it meant having no room in her budget for anything extra.
Working for a large manufacturer felt like a stable and steady job. That was until Monica’s company was shut down temporarily due to unexpected maintenance.
With the company’s reopen date not scheduled for another month, Monica felt a sense of dread looming. She was unsure of how she would pay for rent that month. Fearing that she and her family would lose their home, Monica contacted her Director of Social Services, Leni, letting her know the situation.
With Monica soon on her way back to financial stability, Leni suggested that she apply for rental assistance through the Partnership for HOPE Fund. Instead of falling behind in payments, the critical rental assistance helped Monica get back on her feet.
Today, Monica is back at work and, thanks to the Partnership for HOPE Fund, in a much better position to handle any future unexpected emergencies.
Mia – Youth Development Scholarship
As a young person growing up in Los Angeles’ inner city, it can be easy to fall prey to negative influences. For 10-year-old Mia, her family has made it a point to keep her busy through after school programs and her church youth group.
Through the programs, Mia discovered her love of music early on. Whether it’s singing, dancing, or songwriting, Mia has always had a gift for the performing arts. Hoping to hone her skills, Mia was thrilled when she found out that her community center was offering guitar lessons in note reading.
Yet her excitement quickly turned to disheartenment after she learned that her family simply could not afford the guitar lessons. Determined to find a way to pursue her passion, Mia asked her Director of Social Services, Dora, for advice. Knowing just how passionate Mia was about music making, Dora suggested that Mia apply for the Partnership for HOPE Youth Development Scholarship.
Mia was ecstatic to learn that her application was awarded and that the scholarship would cover all of her fees.
Today, Mia continues to experience the positive power of the arts and is pursuing guitar lessons, getting better and better after each session.