Last year, I-CAN!  E-file returned over $140 million dollars to individuals!   

WHAT IS I-CAN! E-FILE?

I-CAN! E-file is a free, internet-based program that enables taxpayers to prepare their income tax returns free of charge.  There are no income limitations for the program.

HOW DOES I-CAN! E-FILE WORK?

I-CAN! E-file is an empowering self-help tool for taxpayers.

• Taxpayers go through a series of secure web papages inputting answers to a series of simple, interactive questions.
• Once all of the questions have been answered, the information is compiled and placed on federal and/or state tax forms that can be either e-mailed or printed.

WHERE TO GO:

Click here to get started from home and receive live chat support (Mon-Sat 9-5)*

 *For free e-filing, you MUST access I-CAN! E-file through CHW links above or at one of our 3 locations.

Or visit any of our 3 sites now through April 17:

Cedar Nettleton: 245 Cedar Rd. Vista, CA 92083 | Wed 5 PM – 8 PM, Sat 10 AM – 3 PM

La Costa Paloma: 1953 Dove Ln. Carlsbad, CA 92009 | Tue 5 PM – 8 PM, Sat  10 AM – 3 PM

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For more information please contact us at 760-432-6878 ext 5471

When they started with us, Crystal had no idea what a budget was. They had two kids and a third on the way, were saddled with debt, and the idea of home ownership was, at best, a fantasy.

No more! After years of taking financial courses, saving at least $84/month, working hard, and living on a tighter budget than they had ever thought was possible, the Lucca family moved into a townhouse in Poway.

They hope this will be the first of many holiday seasons they spend in a home they can finally call their own.

The Lucca Family is one of those stories that just speaks for itself and all we do here at Community HousingWorks. But if you want to know the whole story, read what the San Diego Union Tribune had to say about their success.

It’s guaranteed to warm you during this cold time of year.

On top of which, another 140 volunteers showed up to help clean up the canyon and prep a property that underwent a major landscaping overhaul. Prominent among our supporters was UPS – the guys in brown. Not only did they make a significant financial contribution towards improving the neighborhood, but they also sponsored a team of their employees…and BOY did they work hard!

All this effort led to eight 40 yard dumpsters full of trash. Two more dumpsters were filled with recycleables, plus we recycled a mountain of metal and a couple of truck loads of TVs and electronics. And don’t forget all the toys and furniture that still had life in them that ended up at the Goodwill store! Final count, according to Linda, is 13 houses that got fully “Facelifted,” with an additional half-dozen that got partial improvements.

Special Kudos to landscape designers David Clarke (David Clarke Design) and Lisa Bellora (Ornamental Gardens by Lisa) for their abilities to transition a tired yard into a thing of beauty sporting drought-tolerant plantings and a design that looked like it came out of a magazine.

Check out these Before and After pictures!

Thanks to a new partnership between CHW and Reality Changers, seven Poway High School students attended the College Apps Academy last month.

They are now much further along the road to attending college than they ever might have been otherwise.

Headed by Christopher Yanov – recently named by San Diego Magazine as one of San Diego’s new civic power brokers – Reality Changers helps would-be first generation college students to translate their college aspirations into reality.

These efforts to improve their college applications and essays came at no cost to the seven students or their families. Our expectation is these kids will look back in about 20 years and realize that the four Saturdays they invested, and the hard work they’ll be putting in over the next four years, will combine as the foundation for them to build much more successful careers and lives than they might have otherwise had.

All because someone cared enough to help.

You may remember the story of Crystal and Cesar Lucca, who lived at Park View Terrace for the past four years.

When they started with us, Crystal had no idea what a budget was. They had two kids and a third on the way, were saddled with debt, and the idea of home ownership was, at best, a fantasy.

No more! After years of taking financial courses, saving at least $84/month, working hard, and living on a tighter budget than they had ever thought was possible, the Lucca family moved into a townhouse in Poway.

They hope this will be the first of many holiday seasons they spend in a home they can finally call their own.

The Lucca Family is one of those stories that just speaks for itself and all we do here at Community HousingWorks. But if you want to know the whole story, read what the San Diego Union Tribune had to say about their success.

It’s guaranteed to warm you during this cold time of year.

Fun Times at FaceLift

Linda Pennington and her team have done it again! In October we gathered together 736 volunteers at Olive and 46th Street in City Heights for a solid six hours of digging up gardens, painting fences, and laying pavements. And did we mention that eyesore of a median that was cleaned up?

On top of which, another 140 volunteers showed up to help clean up the canyon and prep a property that underwent a major landscaping overhaul. Prominent among our supporters was UPS – the guys in brown. Not only did they make a significant financial contribution towards improving the neighborhood, but they also sponsored a team of their employees…and BOY did they work hard!

All this effort led to eight 40 yard dumpsters full of trash. Two more dumpsters were filled with recycleables, plus we recycled a mountain of metal and a couple of truck loads of TVs and electronics. And don’t forget all the toys and furniture that still had life in them that ended up at the Goodwill store! Final count, according to Linda, is 13 houses that got fully “Facelifted,” with an additional half-dozen that got partial improvements.

Special Kudos to landscape designers David Clarke (David Clarke Design) and Lisa Bellora (Ornamental Gardens by Lisa) for their abilities to transition a tired yard into a thing of beauty sporting drought-tolerant plantings and a design that looked like it came out of a magazine.

Check out these Before and After pictures!

Changing Reality, One Person at a Time

Today’s marketplace demands anyone with significant career aspirations must attend college.

Thanks to a new partnership between CHW and Reality Changers, seven Poway High School students attended the College Apps Academy last month.

They are now much further along the road to attending college than they ever might have been otherwise.

Headed by Christopher Yanov – recently named by San Diego Magazine as one of San Diego’s new civic power brokers – Reality Changers helps would-be first generation college students to translate their college aspirations into reality.

These efforts to improve their college applications and essays came at no cost to the seven students or their families. Our expectation is these kids will look back in about 20 years and realize that the four Saturdays they invested, and the hard work they’ll be putting in over the next four years, will combine as the foundation for them to build much more successful careers and lives than they might have otherwise had.

All because someone cared enough to help.

The project also provided educational support on all aspects of sustainable living with an emphasis on engaging the development’s children in this transformation. A book, created by the Las Serenas children (our newest ambassadors of green) was given to the Senator as a gift.

“The clean energy improvements at Las Serenas are a microcosm of the good that can happen when local, state and federal groups work together,” said Sen. Boxer at the event.

Read the whole story yourself….

For the residents who will reside in the 83 apartments on this one acre site in North Park, Kalos will mean home.

Located just two blocks west of Park Boulevard, the site presents opportunity for a vibrant new building that will anchor the west end of the exciting redevelopment occurring along University Avenue.

“Residents can take a short walk to San Diego’s highest-used transit lines and take advantage of employment opportunities and exciting amenities in Downtown, Hillcrest, and North Park with a short ride or walk,” explains Sylvia Martinez, CHW’s Senior Project Manager in charge of this development. “And our bicycle-friendly building will further help residents enjoy this great urban location only four blocks north of Balboa Park.”

CHW’s development of the site will transform eight dilapidated buildings with numerous code violations into one of the greenest, most energy-efficient properties available today.

Originally planned as condominiums, CHW was able to purchase the site during the economic downturn thanks to the forward-thinking commitments of the San Diego Housing Commission and the North Park Project Area of the Redevelopment Agency of San Diego. “We were able to re-design the building to better fit the neighborhood,” explains Anne Wilson, Senior Vice President of Housing and Real Estate. “We reduced the scale of the building on Florida Street by one full story in order to be more compatible with the existing neighborhood, and created a very open courtyard-oriented building that maximizes the steeply-sloping site.

Built over underground parking, this very livable urban community will feature two courtyards, play areas, WiFi hotspots, large indoor and outdoor multi-purpose spaces, and our signature learning centers.

The impressive sustainability features include solar-thermal hot water and unit heating that is projected to reduce natural gas demand by over 75%, in addition to solar photovoltaic panels for electricity generation. Climate-appropriate landscaping and low-use interior water fixtures will save water. Not only does this make a major reduction in the building’s impact on our environment but it significantly reduces operating expenses, assisting CHW in its mission to deliver long-term, stable and affordable housing. Significant sustainable material use, proximity to high-frequency transit, and a focus on efficient construction and recycling make this project a strong candidate for the highest designations from the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program by the U.S. Green Building Council.

With design by MW Steele and construction services provided by Legacy Building Services, Kalos promises to deliver a great urban green product to an area that is rapidly gentrifying. And because it is affordable to low-income households, Kalos has already generated an incredible amount of local support.

“It’s nice to know that the community appreciates your efforts to help those most in need of our support,” says Ms. Martinez.

Kalos is planned for completion in December 2012, and the pre-leasing information list is expected to open by the end of 2011. For additional information (other than leasing), contact Sylvia Martinez at 619-450-8712.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of it.

Written by,
Lily Leung
Oct. 21, 2011

New affordable housing is coming to North Park.

Ground has broken on an 83-unit apartment building that will be available to qualified residents, San Diego nonprofit group Community HousingWorks said earlier this week.

Construction is scheduled through winter of 2012 for the “Kalos” building, which will sit on a one-acre site near Florida Street and University Avenue.

Rents will start from $730 to $880 for a one-bedroom unit and go as high as $930 to $1,120 for a three-bedroom.
The apartments will be available to residents who make up to $49,140 for a household of four at 60 percent of the area’s median income, Community HousingWorks guidelines say.

“Community HousingWorks took a failed condo project, a truly blighted set of old buildings and dirt-filled vacant lots and is transforming them into 83 homes affordable to lower income, working families close to jobs in Mission Valley and downtown, transit, schools and several colleges,” Community HousingWorks CEO Susan Reynolds, said in a statement.
The project’s financing comes from several sources, including the San Diego Redevelopment Agency and the San Diego Housing Commission.

Once done, the building will have a shared area that includes a computer center, courtyards and a bike shed.
Project leaders also have touted the community’s “green” features, from energy-saving fans to low-flow toilets.

For more on the project, call 619-858-3544.

Join us – the hors d’oevres will be DIVINE!