CHISPA (Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association, Inc.) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit Community-based Housing Development Organization (CHDO) operating on the Central Coast of California.
CHISPA is overseen by a nine-member Board of Directors with diverse backgrounds and experience in real estate, law, property management, social services, education, and business. CHISPA Board members all reside and work in different areas of Monterey County and most also serve on Boards of other community-based nonprofit organizations.
As the largest private, nonprofit housing developer in Monterey County, CHISPA has completed more than 1,900 affordable single family, multi-family and senior housing units since it’s incorporation in 1980. While these developments have provided housing for more than 7,400 people, there is still a great need for more affordable housing in Monterey County and throughout the State of California.
With the increasing cost of living on the Central Coast, the demand for more affordable housing remains high. Monterey County is home to a significant portion of the nation’s agriculture and is also major tourist destination with the Monterey Peninsula cities of Carmel, Monterey and Pebble Beach drawing visitors from across the world. As a major tourist destination and a major supplier of the nation’s produce, Monterey County is home to many low-wage earning families working in the agriculture, tourism, hospitality and retail industries.
CHISPA has several different programs that are designed to provide housing for very-low, low, and moderate-income Monterey County residents. Whether rental housing or homeownership, these housing programs are all based upon the concept that high quality housing should be available to all residents, not just those with high incomes. CHISPA’s affordable housing developments combine layers of financing from federal, state and local agencies and private lenders in order to provide affordable units which meet the needs of low-income households.
Homeownership developments generally include homes built through CHISPA’s Mutual Self-Help Housing Program, where families participate in the construction of their own homes. Newer developments in Salinas, Greenfield and Soledad also include homes for moderate-income families, constructed by Central Coast Residential Builders, a subsidiary of CHISPA.
Most of our rental and homeownership developments are designed to serve families. Rental developments include primarily three- and four-bedroom townhouse-style units and include open, grassy areas and play areas for children. Most rental developments include community centers which provide a place to conduct educational activities, social and community service meetings and tenant meetings. CHISPA’s rental and cooperative developments are managed by the corporation’s property management subsidiary CHISPA Housing Management, Inc., commonly referred to as CHMI.
Our mission “To enhance the quality of life and create socially and economically healthy living environments on the Central Coast of California by developing, owning and managing rental housing, by providing home ownership opportunities for very-low, low and moderate-income people and by revitalizing neighborhood” encompasses more than just building housing units; we also integrate community service programs, in collaboration with other community service agencies, at our rental developments to best serve our residents. The dedication to providing community services is part of our commitment to build healthy neighborhoods and communities. We believe that it is vitally important to provide these educational opportunities and services to our clients so that they can become empowered to improve the lives of their families, advocate for themselves, and take an interest in their neighborhoods and communities.
In addition to providing affordable housing opportunities to very-low, low, and moderate-income households, CHISPA has also contributed more than $128 million to the local economy over the last 25 years in construction costs alone. Whenever feasible, we attempt to offer contracts for construction, maintenance, and other services to local businesses and to purchase supplies and other materials from local businesses, ensuring that our dollars stay in our community. We have also made a commitment to recruit and hire locally for open positions whenever feasible by posting positions at our apartment complexes, local business schools and in local newspapers.