BUILDING AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

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1 AUTUMN 2012 erced ousing exas BUILDING AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Juana Rosa Mercado, Merced s first Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Emergency Repair Program recipient. It started with one woman and one home, and now Merced s Owner-Occupied Repair Program has helped more than 500 of San Antonio s most vulnerable residents extremely low-income seniors and disabled persons. The program began in 2002 after Merced President Susan R. Sheeran attended a Denver Heights/Nevada Street Neighborhood Association meeting. The meeting was held at 64-year-old Miss Juana Rosa Mercado s home what had once been a picturesque Victorian gingerbread home. There was nothing picturesque about the conditions Sheeran found. A couple of boards stretched from the walkway into Miss Mercado s home. I had to balance on them to get in the door, she said. When I asked Miss Mercado what purpose the boards served, she said, Honey, if they weren t there, I d fall through the porch on my way in the house. Inside the home, Sheeran found a litter of kittens in the bathtub. Where do you bathe? she asked Miss Mercado. Oh, the water heater hasn t worked in years. I heat water in my crock pot to take a bath. Miss Mercado said. Miss Mercado had boxes stacked on her stove. It was obvious the appliance hadn t been used in some time. How do you cook? Sheeran asked. Miss Mercado pointed to a hot plate. They turned off the gas a long time ago, she said. Sheeran was appalled. I didn t know how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to help her, she said. Merced used $2,000 of our own funds to match a $5,000 grant from the Dave Coy Foundation to repair Miss Mercado s home. We reached out to our compassionate friends, and Jody Marquez of Implicity Management Company came through, contributing labor and materials to complete more repairs. Miss Mercado s home was a little more safe and See Owner-Occupied Repairs page 3

2 W L EA S I NG NO CASITAS DE VILLA CORONA an apartment community for very low-income seniors in the heart of San Antonio s West Side at 339 S.W. 39th Street, still has units available! To be eligible to live at Casitas, you must: be 62 years of age or older have an income of 50% or less of the Area Median Income ($21,000 for a person living alone) To make an appointment and apply to live at Casitas or to learn more, please: Call 201/ and ask for Elizabeth Rodriguez casitasdevillacorona@gmail.com Visit the Casitas de Villa Corona website: Casitas de Villa Corona is funded through a Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Bexar County HOME Investment Partnership Program, and the City of San Antonio. Autumn

3 Owner-Occupied Repairs From page 1 Miss Mercado s home before repairs Miss Mercado s home after Merced leveled her porch comfortable. And the Serve Our Seniors (SOS) Emergency Repair Program was born. Word began to spread about the way Merced had helped Miss Mercado. We at Merced soon learned that many, many seniors lived in conditions even more desperate than Miss Mercado s. We ve found many homes with gas leaks; homes with electrical wiring that shoots sparks and arcs when appliances are turned on. We ve seen homes where raw sewage was draining directly under homes and into yards. We ve witnessed homes with holes in roofs so big that buckets couldn t catch the water that poured in and homes with floors so rotted that seniors literally had stepped through. Since the beginnings of the SOS Program, Merced has creatively garnered funding from many sources to make home repairs for extremely low-income seniors and disabled persons in San Antonio. The SOS Program began with the Denver Heights/ Nevada Street neighborhood as its geographic focus area, but our target area for the Owner-Occupied Repair Program has expanded to You have helped me beyond my wildest dreams. It is a blessing that you fixed my plumbing through my whole house and made my bathroom like new. Esther Temple roughly comprise City Council District 2. The San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation and the City of San Antonio have played vital roles in the history of the Owner- Occupied Repair Program (OORP). Several contracts with the City have enabled Merced to repair more seniors homes. A grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, sponsored by Frost Bank and the City of San Antonio, enabled Merced to repair 83 homes. Frost Senior Vice President Donna Normandin played a crucial role in obtaining the grant. Several grants from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation have supported the SOS Program. Merced also collaborated with the City of San Antonio, Bexar County and the Greater San Antonio Builders Association on the Olive Street Makeover Program. Esther Temple, age 80, who received OORP repairs, wrote to Merced, You have helped me beyond my wildest dreams. It is a blessing that you fixed my plumbing through my whole house and made my bathroom like new. Merced is now the only organization we know of that makes home repairs at no cost to senior and disabled homeowners. We receive more pleas for help every day from seniors throughout San Antonio, and nearly 400 seniors are on our waiting list. We have had to close the waiting list. Although repairs for one home typically cost from $7,000 to $8,500, the most federal funds we can spend on one home are $4,999. Merced often supplements federal funding with donations from corporations, foundations and individuals. The seniors we help are profoundly grateful for the safety and comfort we provide. Every home we repair and every donation we receive represents a life transformed. Autumn

4 Merced s deep involvement in the Eastside of San Antonio began when I participated in a planning process for the City of Antonio Planning Department and the Denver Heights/Nevada Street Neighborhood Association in I joined the neighborhood association in 2002, and served as treasurer until The area is home to much of the most beautiful historic architecture in San Antonio. Paradoxically, it had been one of the most neglected and underserved areas of the city. No longer. We are excited to witness the revitalization initiatives of District 2 City Councilwoman Ivy Taylor. We are honored to have partnered with the City of San Antonio on several home repair programs and the Historic Gardens Project urban renewal initiative, through which we rehabilitated and sold four single-family homes. I encourage you to visit the District 2 website ( to learn about the City s commitment to community reinvestment. We target District 2 for our Owner-Occupied Repair Program, and the vast majority of the more than 500 homes we ve repaired have been within that geographic area. We re so very excited about the new Oscar Eason Senior Apartments development at Commerce and Olive streets. Residents of neighborhoods where Merced works also give back to their community. The Lively Stone International Christian Church coordinates monthly distribution of nutritious food for residents of Artisan at Willow Springs Apartments. The Antioch Community Transformation Network provides parenting classes for Willows residents. I invite you to take a drive through some of the historic San Antonio neighborhoods such as Dignowity Hill, Denver Heights and Government Hill. You ll see the potential for revitalization and the need for continued commitment to serving this precious part of the San Antonio community. Exciting changes are coming at a familiar corner in San Antonio. Merced is developing a new apartment community for very low-income seniors at the corner of Commerce and Olive streets the Oscar Eason Senior Apartments. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded Merced a Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly grant of $3,756,400 to develop the new, 33-unit apartment community. A $3,411,400 portion of the grant is a capital advance, and the remaining $315,000 is for rent subsidies so that very low-income senior residents will pay only 30 percent of their income for rent. Residents of the new apartment community must be 62 years of age or older and make 50% or less of the Area Median Income ($21,000 a year for a person living alone). The three-story apartment community will have interior corridors for limited access, a computer lab, laundry facilities and a community room that will be available for use by neighbors and area residents. Merced is working with Oscar Eason, Jr. on the development process, and the apartment community will be named after his father, Oscar Eason Senior. A native son of San Antonio, Eason Junior was recently honored for his 50 years of federal government service in the Army Corps of Engineers. He also is president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Alaska, Oregon and Washington State Conference. Autumn Easter Seals New Beginnings students for processing Merced s newsletter bulk mailing New Beginnings is vested in helping adults with chronic mental illness return to work. For information about the program, call 210/ and ask for Cynthia.

5 Support Merced through United Way Combined Campaigns! San Antonio Metropolitan Area Combined Campaign Please select code San Antonio Area Combined Federal Campaign Please select code State Employee Charitable Campaign Please select code Oscar Eason, Senior was a leader in industrial education and youth development in San Antonio. A natural auto mechanic, he was drawn like a magnet to aircraft engine maintenance during World War II, when airplanes were the ultimate in internal combustion technology. Kelly Field (later known as Kelly Air Force Base) was the epicenter of that technology, and Eason worked at Kelly as a specialist and instructor. In the early 1940s, he was sent to assignments in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he developed maintenance and operational procedures for aircraft flown by the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. He was so impressed with the Tuskegee Institute that he enrolled his daughter there in Eason had a passion for teaching. In 1947 he opened his first automotive repair school, with an initial enrollment of 36 African-American World War II veterans. His school became known for turning out some of the best qualified and most sought-after mechanics in Texas. Eason earned a Master of Science degree and taught industrial education at Prairie View A & M College. He initiated an Industrial Education Department at the Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas. In the 1970s, Eason devoted his efforts to developing what had become Eason s Institute of Technology (EIT) in San Antonio. The institute expanded to several locations in San Antonio. In 1981, EIT was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and in 1983 EIT had a graduate placement as high as any comparable school in the United States. Through the combined support of the City of San Antonio and a private financial agency, a new EIT campus opened in April Through a lifetime of dedication and tireless work, Eason made a lasting mark on industrial education in San Antonio. MERCED STAFF Susan R. Sheeran, President 1. SEARCH for Merced Housing Texas Kristin Evans, Vice President/Treasurer and Director of Corporate Operations Casimiro CB Briseño, Rehabilitation Specialist Jesse Flores, Program Manager 2. LIKE us. And, most importantly, 3. SHARE the good word of Merced s important work! Elizabeth Rodriguez, Community Manager Elisa Beckmann, Resident Services Coordinator Brianna Garner, Resident Services Coordinator Sue Flynt Yip, Interim Secretary and Communications Manager Autumn

6 Since 2006, four hundred forty-eight families have lived in beautiful, affordable apartment homes, thanks to Merced and Franklin Development. The two entities partnered to develop Artisan at Salado Creek near the San Antonio Military Medical Center (formerly Brooke Army Medical Center) and Artisan at Willow Springs, near the AT&T Center. Artisan at Willow Springs, affectionately called Willows by residents, is much more than a place to live. Merced s Resident Services Program has helped create a cohesive, mutually supportive community there, and residents know they can rely on Resident Services Coordinator Brianna Garner in time of need. Garner provides the After- School program for school-age kids, helping with homework first, then engaging the youngsters in learning enrichment with the Traveling Trunks Program. She also coordinates a multitude of programs and activities supporting residents health, education and financial literacy. However, Garner and Merced s Resident Services Program do much more to help residents weather crisis situations and pursue their personal goals. She helps residents Kvanti Smith gets her financial ducks in a row as she plays the money game during the Willows After-School Program. create résumés and search for jobs. She helps them with the paperwork associated with programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and CHIPS. She connects them with rental and utility assistance when they re in dire financial straits. Willows residents complete the circle of community. Parents and children volunteer to help when the Lively Stone International Christian Church distributes healthy food monthly to Willows residents. This community embodies Merced s commitment to its mission of providing quality, affordable, service-enriched housing in San Antonio. Resident Services Coordinator Brianna Garner helps Adrian Hardie play the Traveling Trunks money game. FOUNDING CONGREGATIONS Congregation of Benedictine Sisters Congregation of Divine Providence Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate ASSOCIATE CONGREGATIONS Congregation of St. Brigid Daughters of Mary Immaculate Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament Ursuline Nuns of San Antonio Sisters of the Holy Family Autumn

7 Contributions June 1 through October 18 Corporations, Foundations and Government Bank of America Foundation Broadway Bank The Genevieve and Ward Orsinger Foundation The Greehey Family Foundation Marcia and Otto Koehler Foundation McCombs Foundation, Inc. Robley Freeman Sopris and Elizabeth Reese Sopris Fund and the Fred Roy Charitable Trust of the San Antonio Area Foundation Shield-Ayres Foundation Individuals Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Marvin R. Boroski Reverend Walter D heedene, CICM Aubra Franklin Sister Carol Ann Jokerst, CCVI Sister Mary Elizabeth Jupe, CDP Memorials and Honors Luz Elena Day in memory of John T. Maldonado Gary M. Driggers in memory of John T. Maldonado Ann Kizzier in memory of John T. Maldonado Merced Housing Texas staff in memory of J.J. Arzola Merced Housing Texas staff in memory of Ida Kenny Robert Sosa in memory of John T. Maldonado BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jennifer Bligh, Chair Barbara U. Alvarez Sister Jean Thomas Dwyer, DC Roger Garcia Arlene Gauthier Kimberly D. Barnett Gibson W. Esther Ng Sister Carmen Sanchez, MCDP Rebecca Rowland Sanchez Merced Housing Texas mission is to create and strengthen healthy communities by providing quality, affordable, service-enriched housing for individuals and families who are economically poor. Sister Jane Ann Slater, CDP Autumn

8 212 West Laurel San Antonio, TX (210) Fax: (210) Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No San Antonio, TX Return Service Requested AUTUMN 2012 Merced Housing Texas Communities Outside San Antonio N O New Merced/NRP Group Developments Four Seasons at Clear Creek 1500 Four Seasons Lane Fort Worth, TX (886) Bellshire Apartments 800 Bellshire Drive, Conroe, TX Wedge Management, Inc. (936) Fenner Square Apartments 555 S. Burke, Goliad, TX Hamilton Valley Management Company (361) W L E A S I N G Tierra Pointe 126 State Highway 123 Karnes City, TX (830) Riversquare Apartment Homes River Run, Corpus Christi, Texas (361) Navigation Pointe Apartments 909 S. Navigation Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX (361) In San Antonio Artisan at Salado Creek Apartments 3644 Binz-Engleman, Franklin Apartment Management (210) Artisan at Willow Springs Apartments 535 Gembler Road, Franklin Apartment Management (210) Eleanor Place Apartments 324 Eleanor Avenue, (210) Casitas de Villa Corona 339 S.W. 39th Street, (210) Elmhurst Place Apartments 130 Elmhurst Avenue, (210) Stablewood Farms Apartments 8301 Lake Vista Drive, (210)