Bidding farewell recently to two long-serving members of the board, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) thanked Dave Gustafson and Charlie Fruit for providing boundless leadership, support, and service of 10 and 33 years, respectively.

“We will miss the vision, passion and expertise that Charlie and Dave have provided for so many years,” said John Fowler, president/CEO. “On behalf of all of us at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, we thank these leaders for their service and wish them the best as they enter into the next exciting chapter of their lives.”

Born and raised in Washington, Gustafson had a distinguished career serving numerous housing authorities and redevelopment agencies in Central and Southern California. While on the PSHH Board, he played a key role in guiding the transition from the retiring, long-term founder president/CEO to the current president/CEO, an often-challenging journey for nonprofits.

With Gustafson’s leadership, this occurred smoothly, while keeping the board intact, honoring its heritage, and supporting the selection of PSHH’s new leader.

Fruit, a retired banking professional, has lived in San Luis Obispo for nearly 50 years and lent his expertise to PSHH, helping to expand the organization from a single-family homebuilder into multifamily housing developer.

A Vietnam veteran, Fruit also served as an Army medic and brought his skills in disaster preparation and relief work to PSHH as well as numerous other nonprofits.

PSHH’s Board of Directors will be chaired on an interim basis by director Shelly Higginbotham until a formal board chair election in February.

Founded in 1970, PSHH is the longest serving nonprofit affordable housing organization on the Central Coast. With a mission of building homes and providing services to strengthen communities and change lives, PSHH serves low-income households, working families, seniors, veterans, those living with disabilities and the formerly homeless.

It also provides homeownership opportunities through a self-help, sweat-equity program that has seen some 1,200 homes successfully completed. PSHH has a presence in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, manages more than 1,900 rental units, and employs nearly 200 staff members.

For more information, visit pshhc.org, email info@pshhc.org or phone 805-781-3088.

— Peoples’ Self-Help Housing.