The Rai$ing Change Initiative

Rai$ing Change is a public-private initiative in South Monterey County , CA . It seeks to restructure the rural economy through employment and business ownership opportunities that provide a living wage and upward mobility, affordable housing and homeownership, youth education and job training for the indigenous, non-Spanish-speaking farm worker population who tend to be very poor and isolated from the larger community. Monthly community meetings, homebuyer and financial literacy education, credit counseling, GED and job training, affordable housing assistance, business assistance and micro-loans are all included in their strategies to build a strong and inclusive regional economy.

The greater Salinas Valley , known as the Salad Bowl of the U.S. , is a racially and culturally diverse region, dominated by the agricultural industry. It includes the towns of Gonzales, Soledad , Greenfield and King City , along with smaller unincorporated communities. Poverty rates are high and the population is economically divided based on race and class. In addition to a large Hispanic/Latino farmworker population, there are approximately 6000 non-Spanish-speaking indigenous people in the region who speak more than 20 dialects, including Triki and Mistec. Rai$ing Change seeks to increase the civic participation of Spanish-speaking farmworkers and non-Spanish-speaking indigenous community leaders through monthly outreach meetings.

The initiative also is providing homebuyer education seminars, down payment assistance, and credit counseling services, along with a business assistance program for prospective or existing businesses. Youth are a specific focus of the initiative, and it offers general education leading to a high school diploma, in-depth leadership training, and an innovative residential construction job training program that alternates participants on a weekly basis between academics and vocational training.

The multi-faceted initiative brings together existing programs, expanding and integrating them to achieve a restructuring of the rural economy of South Monterey County , and to more effectively address the needs of the rapidly growing region.