Bay Area nun Sister Christina Heltsley transforms underserved Peninsula neighborhood
REDWOOD CITY -- She's credited with transforming a gang-infested Peninsula neighborhood into a place where families can thrive.
Sister Christina Heltsley has embraced people and changed lives since she took over the St. Francis Center to serve low-income families 23 years ago.
She's transformed Redwood City's North Fair Oaks neighborhood. It was run-down and riddled with crime, drugs, and gangs.
"It was not a safe neighborhood," she said.
Heltsley had a vision: "If we could stabilize one family at a time, we could stabilize the entire neighborhood," she said.
She's taken over 17 buildings to provide 259 units of affordable housing.
"What we do is buy the most dilapidated, awful buildings and completely remodel them and move families back in who are extremely low-income," she explained.
Heltsley also started a small school for kindergarten through eighth grade 21 years ago for low-income, mostly immigrant, families.
"We wanted our kids who were behind in preschool to have a chance to catch up to become strong members of the community," she said.
Tuition is free, but parents must attend its English language class once a week.
"The idea is to raise the literacy rate of the whole family," she said.
Lulu Barrajas is thankful for the education she and her children have received. Three of her four children have attended the school; one is a college graduate.
And Barrajas' own mastery of English has soared.
She's made a lot of difference in my family and other families as well," Barrajas said.
Block by block, Heltsley has built a network of support.
Among that support: a clothing donation program, and a 4,000-book library with protagonists that include women, girls and people of color.
She turned dumping grounds into community gardens that supplement a food pantry feeding 4,000 people a month.
Heltsley also built a youth center 11 years ago. Today, nearly 200 neighborhood kids descend on it after school. The center's a haven from gang recruitment and a place to play and learn.
"They immediately start with tutoring and homework," Heltsley said.
Funding comes primarily from foundations and private donations from wealthy Bay Area families. St. Francis Center does not take government money, Heltsley said, because it takes too long to go through the application and funding process.
In addition, she said, the affordable housing is deed-restricted, so that it remains low-income housing in perpetuity.
St. Francis Center's Board Chair Michael Pierce is inspired by how Heltsley wraps her arms around families in need.
"At one level, it's a miracle. She is just an amazing person," said Pierce, adding with a smile, "Oftentimes, some of us involved with the center will sit around and talk and say she could be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company."
As a Fair Oaks neighborhood deputy more than 15 years ago, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus saw the transformation firsthand and is in awe of the woman she calls a mentor and friend.
"She is someone who has a lot of tenacity and grit," said Corpus. "At the same time, she's compassionate, loving, so dedicated to the community."
"I love this community. I feel super at home here," Heltsley beamed. "It gives us all a sense of pride to see what's happening here."
So for transforming a crime-ridden area into a safe, thriving neighborhood, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Sister Christina Heltsley.
