Sol Treasures

On February 6, I attended the CHISPA Annual Celebration with fellow board member Sonia Chapa.  If you are not acquainted with CHISPA, it stands for Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association, Inc. and they are a nonprofit housing developer here in Monterey County. 

One of my earliest experiences with Sol Treasures was shuttling my child to and from rehearsals for The Wizard of Oz.  You may recall Dorothy’s famous closing line: “There’s no place like home.”  Indeed, truer words could not be said.  I would further enhance Dorothy’s line to state that there’s no place like a home of one’s own.

The words of the presenters, honorees, and scholarship recipients at CHISPA’s Annual Celebration all point to the universal dignity of having a place to call one’s own home.  Monterey County is known for being an expensive place to live. The past ten years have seen an increase in our unsheltered population and in families doubling and tripling up in houses.  Multiple systemic barriers contributed to this increase in homelessness, including job availability, income not covering the high cost of living, access to education, and access to transportation.  No single organization will overcome these barriers on its own.  It takes a village, as the maxim goes.

Sol Treasures is honored to be part of the same village as CHISPA, together seeking to improve the lives of Monterey county residents.  Sol Treasures lifts the heart of our community through artistic exposure and expression.  CHISPA empowers our community through home ownership. 

We look forward to future years with CHISPA as we each enrich our south county community with heart and home. 

Jessica Riley

Board President