SANTA BARBARA — To help its resident families prepare for the upcoming school year, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) hosted a variety of fun and engaging activities for resident children over the summer, including nutrition, computer coding, STEM and other programs.
“At PSHH, we not only assist community members to find affordable places to live, but to give families the tools they need to succeed in school and reach their career goals,” said John Fowler, PSHH President and CEO. “Thanks to the unique year round programs PSHH has been able to offer, we’re confident that our local schoolchildren will be well-prepared for the year ahead.”
Various summer activities encouraged learning through the development of life skills, such as the monthly Children’s Farmer’s Market at PSHH’s Courtyard site in Arroyo Grande, where kids had the opportunity to learn the importance of making healthy food choices and experience how to pick and purchase groceries.
And, thanks to a food drive, organized by Indivisible Carpinteria and the Farm Cart, cash and food items were donated to 50 residents of local PSHH complexes. The drive was part of an effort to ensure that those in need are well fed, particularly immigrants who are fearful to shop in public or register for Food Stamps given the federal government’s ramped up deportation efforts.
PSHH is also committed to keeping kids’ minds active and engaged during their months off from school. By collaborating with EconAlliance and other industry partners, students from two PSHH neighborhoods were able to attend a Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Industry Day Camp in early June.
Additionally, 40 students attending PSHH’s Youth Education Enhancement Program (YEEP) and its affiliated College Club took part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities this summer. To round out a week of experiments and experiences, the students visited Atlas Copco, Zodiac Aerospace and Hardy Diagnostics, garnering behind-the-scenes insight into the many STEM-related career paths available to them.
And, to top off the busy, fun-filled summer, PSHH was able to provide 104 backpacks and school supplies to its resident youth. For many families, being able to afford new backpacks and much-needed supplies for the new school year can be a financial hurdle.
But thanks to a generous donation from With Love Grandma, children residents at PSHH’s Rolling Hills, Atascadero Gardens, Schoolhouse Lane and Sequoia apartment complexes, who participated in the backpack giveaway, received backpacks equipped with binders, notebooks, paper, pens, colored pencils, markers, notecards and small toiletry kits.