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P R O T E C T Y O U R L E G A C Y
AUGUST EVENT WRAP UP
Southeast Art Expo African American Heritage Night at Petco Park
San Diego Urban League Homeowners Expo
Hosted by Roosevelt Williams, III, Chief Exeuctive Officer of Young Black & N' Business
Special thank you to Petco Park for an amazing family night out Congratulations on your first annual Homeowners Conference!
h t t p s : / / w w w . l i s c . o r g / s a n -
d i e g o / h o m e b u y e r s /
Black Homebuyers Program
The systematic oppression and structural exclusion from access to financing and economic opportunities for Black people in America has led to the average Black household holding about 1/10th the net worth of the average White household.
One key source of wealth for the average White household is home equity.1 There has been a 20 to 30 percent gap between Black and White homeownership rates for more than 100 years. The racial homeownership gap rings true for San Diego County as well, where studies place the Black homeownership rate at 31 percent versus that of White households at 65 percent.2
Black household holding about 1/10th the net worth of the average White household.
With these sobering facts in mind, a collective including The San Diego Foundation, LISC San Diego and the Urban League of San Diego County, have united to launch the San Diego Black Homebuyers Program, which seeks to improve the racial wealth gap in San Diego by investing in generational wealth building opportunities through Black homeownership.
The San Diego Black Homebuyers Program was founded with a $1 million grant from The San Diego Foundation Black Community Investment Fund and with administrative funding from the County of San Diego, through the office of the Chair, Nathan Fletcher, along with other charitable contributors.
[1] Oliver, M. L., & Shapiro, T. M. (2019). Disrupting the Racial Wealth Gap. Contexts, 18(1), 16-21
[2] Anderson, D.
“Minneapolis, Milwaukee & Salt Lake City Have the Lowest Black Homeownership Rates in the U.S., With Just One-Quarter of Black Families Owning Their Home. ” Redfin News. Updated October 19, 2020, https://www.redfin.com/news/black-homeownership-rateacross-united-states/
COX SUPPORTS THE BIRTH OF A BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS
Cox supports the birth of a Black-owned business
It might seem counterintuitive to open a customerfacing business during a pandemic, but for midwife Nikki Helms, January 2021 was as good a time as any. After all, no catastrophe can stop the miracle of babies being born. And with Cox Business’s phone and internet solutions in place, Nikki was able to realize her dream of opening the San Diego Community Birth Center.
In the late 2000s, Nikki began researching the disparities and outcomes for women of color, particularly those for Black women, in hospitals and birthing centers. Nikki, a Black woman herself, had first-hand experience.
“I saw how people of color were treated in the hospital, and how stark those differences were compared to white women, ” Nikki said. “I wanted to change those statistics. I wanted to have a greater impact.
She spent seven years as a practicing doula—an emotional and physical support person for pregnant women—before deciding she wanted to be a clinical practitioner. In 2010, she enrolled in the Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery and completed the rigorous three-year program and concurrent five-year apprenticeship while raising her girls and working fulltime. Today, Nikki is one of only a handful of Black midwives in San Diego County.
It wasn’t an easy journey to get the keys to her new Bankers Hill clinic - and the pandemic changed her timeline – but Nikki was determined to create an option for any woman seeking an alternative to the hospital birthing experience.
COX SUPPORTS THE BIRTH OF A BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS
Thanks to a GoFundMe campaign, Nikki raised nearly $150,000 which she used to lease and revamp her space. She hired a Black woman contractor to install flooring, and she and friends painted the walls and made upgrades, creating a modern, Zen environment for expectant women and their partners. On Jan. 5, 2021, she opened the doors to the only Black-owned birth center in San Diego.
Of course, part of getting her business up and running meant utilizing the right technology to best meet the needs of her customers and community, so she had Cox come and install internet and phone services. e pandemic, so I decided this would be a great partnership, ” Nikki said.
For more information on The San Diego Community Birth Center, visit https://www.sdcommunitybirthcenter.com/.
MAKE A POWER SAVE THIS SUMMER
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4. Run large appliances, such as washers and dryers, before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m. Energy demand peaks during those hours and so does the cost of electricity. #sdge #SDGEassist Switch off electronic devices such as computers and gaming consoles when not in use. Electronics in standby mode still draw power. Use a power strip to power down devices and appliances at one time. #sdge #SDGEassist Compare your SDG&E pricing plan to other plans. Being on the right energy plan can add up to real savings on energy bills. Visit sdge.com/pricing to review all energy plan options. #sdge #SDGEassist Sign up for Flex Alerts. As temperatures rise and the power grid is strained, the California Independent System Operator may call on Californians to conserve energy and avoid power outages. Visit flexalert.org to learn more. #sdge #SDGEassist
Keep your fridge full because it works more efficiently than an empty one. Consider storing bottled water to keep your fridge full. Visit sdge.com/summer for more ways to stay cool and save energy. #sdge #SDGEassist
NEED HELP WITH YOUR ENERGY BILL?
You may qualify for a bill discount or home improvements. SDG&E’ s assistance programs can help you lower your energy use and/or monthly energy bill while keeping your home comfortable. California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program: Save 30% or more every month on your energy bill. Find out if you qualify at sdge.com/CARE. Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program: If you don ’t qualify for CARE and your household has 3 or more people, you may qualify for FERA. You could receive an 18% discount on your electric bill. Visit sdge.com/FERA for more information. Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) Program: You may qualify to receive no-cost, energy-saving improvements for your home, such as new appliances, furnace repair, lighting, insulation and more. Find details at sdge.com/ESAP. Online applications are easy, fast and convenient. To learn more about SDG&E’ s assistance programs, visit sdge.com/assistance.
