About us

We bring residents and partners together to make our communities more affordable

Together, the Lift to Rise coalition is changing what’s possible in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County.

Mission & Vision

Who we are

On a sunny day in 2014, a few community organizations came together to ask a big question: What would it take to address the issues holding back so many families across the region, like low pay, food insecurity, and high housing costs?

They saw what a lot of people already felt, which was that these challenges were all tied together—so solving them would take more than one program, policy, or organization.

In 2018, that conversation became Lift to Rise, the nonprofit backbone behind a regional coalition of residents, local leaders, organizations, and government officials working together to tackle the issues that matter most to the people who live here.

Why we’re here

Riverside County is a beautiful place to live. It’s also a hard place to stay.

For decades the cost of living has kept climbing while incomes lagged behind, leaving thousands of people just one surprise bill or missed paycheck away from homelessness

And our area’s long history of racial discrimination, displacement, and underinvestment mean these issues hit Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members even harder.

That’s why Lift to Rise exists: to help make this region more affordable, equitable, and livable for everyone.

Fun fact

What’s in a name?

Our name is inspired by a comment a Coachella Valley resident made during one of our first community listening sessions. They said, “I came here. I work so hard in the fields every day because I believe that the Coachella Valley is a place where when the sun rises, it rises for everyone.”

We loved that idea. Now, at Lift to Rise, we lift, so that everyone can rise.

What we do

How the coalition gets to work

Our collective action approach is built on the idea that everyone brings something valuable to the movement. That’s why we have ways for all sorts of people and partners to contribute—retirees, farmworkers, state leaders, housing experts. Every piece of the puzzle builds on the next.

Local nonprofits already do a lot. See how the Resident Leadership Table (RLT) helps them do even more together—sharing ideas, resources, and people-power to make a bigger impact in their communities.

Check out the RLT

See how Committees By Cities (CBC) turns passionate neighbors into confident resident leaders—giving community members the skills and experience to advocate for affordable housing wherever they are.

Check out CBC

See how the Housing Collaborative Action Network (CAN) keeps city halls, housing agencies, developers, service providers, labor unions, state leaders, and more coordinated around a single vision.

Check out the Housing CAN

See how the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) combines community insight with local data to make sure the We Lift Catalyst Fund supports affordable housing that actually works for the people who live there.

Check out the CAC

Our model

Our not-so-secret recipe for impact

Before we got to work, no one had ever tried to tackle the region’s biggest issues quite like us. Now our model is driving change here in the Coachella Valley and around the country. Take a peek behind the curtain.

Check out our model

ACTION PLAN

See what we’re working on

We have big dreams for the Coachella Valley and Riverside County, and our Action Plan is how we’ll make them happen. Take a look at our two-year strategy to lower housing costs, expand our coalition, and create 10,000 new affordable homes by 2028.

Check out the Action Plan

Our team

Meet the team

A small but mighty crew of passionate people keep things running—from leading local workshops and training up resident advocates to championing policy change, strategizing with partners, and and everything in between.

Sarah Jamal-Eddine

Grant Specialist

Celeste Flores

Associate Director of Policy and Collective Impact

Ian Gabriel

Executive Director

Joe Mota

Deputy Director

Vanessa Ramirez

Affordable Housing Pipeline Coordinator

Christie Rivera

Administrative and Operations Associate

Kenny Rodgers

Deputy Market Director, Low Income Investment Fund

Fund Manager, We Lift Catalyst Fund

Ariana Rodriguez

Associate Director of Power Building

Bryan Sanchez

Resident Engagement Coordinator

Heather Vaikona

Founder and Senior Advisor

Our Board of directors

Meet the Board

Jaime Alonso
GRID Alternatives, Executive Director, Southern California and Mexico

Melinda Cordero-Barzaga
Associate Director of Programs, Visiõn y Compromiso

Bea Gonzalez
Coordinator, Expanded Learning Programs, Coachella Valley Unified School District

Matt Horton
Senior Advisor, Milken Institute & Blended Impact

Chris Kennen
Chief Creative Officer, Brand IQ

Gary Painter, PhD
Academic Director, BEARE Chair and Professor of Real Estate | Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati

Nadia Villagrán
Vice President, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Director, Rural LISC

Justine Ross, PhD
Executive Director, Center for Community Solutions at UC-Riverside’s School of Public Policy

Our partners