Since 2023, ECM has been planning an organization shift to develop safe, secure, affordable housing in our neighborhood. By converting derelict homes and vacant lots throughout the International District, we seek to reshape the landscape of housing in the area while exploring new ways to address the interwoven challenges facing vulnerable, low-income, and working class members of the community. This initiative is called Streetvision.
Casa Shalom
Casa Shalom Housing Cooperative is an affordable, intentional community where residents share resources and responsibilities, and spend time together for the sake of building significant supportive relationships and outreach connections to the neighborhood.
Casa Shalom allows community members who may not qualify for a traditional mortgage loan to build equity, learn about homeownership, and put down roots in a community.
We are a group of people mixed in ages, race, culture and socio-economic status yet have common values and goals.
Food Cooperative
Our food cooperative plays a critical role in our community as it addresses food security not through charity, but by networking at the community and business level, while also addressing development and sustainability.
In the summer of 2001, ECM partnered with 15 neighborhood women to address issues of hunger and food security in the International District. While food pantries have an essential role to play in food security, the women wanted a broader sense of ownership and responsibility. They wanted a co-op that they could call their own. Through hard work, collaboration, and dedication, their dream came true!
Today, ECM’s membership-based food cooperative serves 100 families a month! On any given day, there are 1-2 food co-ops, and the members are responsible for unloading the food from the truck, sorting the food, sharing it among themselves and even their neighbors, cleaning the warehouse and refrigerators, and engaging in community building and training. Most of the food is fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and eggs, and bread-- it comes from the stores and goes into member's home fridges the same day!
The co-op is operated completely by the members of the cooperative. The only requirement for membership is the willingness to abide by the cooperative's and participate in its activities.
Food for the cooperative are donated in partnership with Adelante Development Center's Desert Harvest Food Rescue Program. Desert Harvest rescues surplus food from grocery stores, caterers, schools, restaurants, and so on, and directs them to community hunger relief programs, like our Food Co-op. We are grateful for their partnership!
ECM strives to provide community development programming that is holistic, creates community ownership, and develops self-agency.
