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Apple Valley Community Vision
Community Partner Meeting June 4 and
June 17, 2026
1 PURPOSE
Harness Strategy and Cardinal Communications held two focus groups with Apple Valley community partners to gain insight into how effectively the Town partners with community organizations to deliver key services and identify areas of momentum and opportunities for improvement. 2 MEETING DETAILS
Date: June 4 and June 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 – 10:00 am
LocaƟon: Virtual
3 KEY THEMES
Partners see meaningful momentum, but continued gaps in service delivery. Participants acknowledged progress in areas such as homelessness response, access to fresh food, workforce development, and community outreach, while also noting that needs continue to exceed available resources.
Housing affordability and homelessness remain central concerns. Partners emphasized the need for more accurate understanding and reporting of homelessness, stronger housing stability support, and attention to the rising cost of living, particularly for seniors, veterans, low-income residents, and vulnerable households.
Strengthen Town communication and coordination with community partners. All partners expressed interest in more regular communication with the Town, including recurring meetings or roundtables, especially as Apple Valley navigates changes in leadership and staff. Access to information, resource navigation, and service utilization are important to residents and service providers. Participants identified opportunities to improve how residents find and use available services, including clearer online information, stronger resource navigation, continued outreach through trusted community partners, and greater awareness of programs that may be underutilized.
Economic development, workforce training, and business engagement are key opportunities.
Partners noted the importance of investing in education, training, youth programs, job placement, and business participation in workforce development services to support long-term community stability and growth.
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4 PARTICIPANTS:
HUD Fair Housing Foundation – Martha Torres
o The Fair Housing Foundation is dedicated to eliminating discrimination in housing and promoting equal access to housing choices for everyone. Symba Center – Antoinette (Netti) Jackson
o The Symba Center is a faith-based, nonprofit health and housing organization founded to address the health and wellness needs of low-income, uninsured, and unhoused populations in the High Desert region of Southern California. Symba’s mission is to bridge the gap in access to healthcare and housing through compassionate, community-driven solutions. They integrate medical care, behavioral health, housing navigation, and life skills support to help individuals heal from hardship, find stability, and build tools for long-term independence.
Community Health Action Network – Cornelious Page Jr. (CJ) o CHAN is a nonprofit organization based in Victorville, California, serving families throughout the High Desert region. Since 2007, CHAN has been committed to one core mission: helping people help themselves. They provide hands-on support, practical education, and community-based services that empower individuals to move from crisis to stability and beyond.
Workforce Development Board – Kathleen Padilla and Sal Monica o The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board is a public-private board appointed by the County Board of Supervisors that utilizes federal funds to create workforce development programs for residents and businesses in San Bernardino County. Operated under the guidance of the Workforce Development Board, the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department (WDD) administers programs funded by the Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Through our three America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) situated strategically across the East Valley, West Valley, and High Desert Regions, WDD implements comprehensive strategies tailored to meet the demands of local businesses for skilled workers.
5 INPUT/DISCUSSION
Please share one word to describe Apple Valley today (from your organization’s perspective):
Different
Community
Vast
Unaware
Unknown/TBD
What role does your organization play in Making Apple Valley a better place to live, work and play? HUD FHF provides counseling to individuals regarding discrimination complaints, evictions, rising rents, habitability, reasonable accommodations, and other fair housing issues. It also provides Climb Higher. Lead Smarter. Elevate Performance
outreach, workshops, and walk-in support. Its primary clients are seniors and veterans on fixed or declining incomes.
Symba provides wraparound services for unhoused individuals, including medical services, pharmacy support, and therapy. It provides up to 90 days of recuperative care for patients who can no longer remain at St. Mary’s, helping prevent them from returning to the streets. Nettie is also a member of the Desert Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, which is part of the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership.
CHAN has direct contact with homeowners and provides health and wellness support targeted to low-income residents. The organization shares health and wellness information and connects residents with practical resources.
o Energy conservation and utility assistance, including Town-approved information about energy conservation programs.
o Heat exchange program information from the State.
o Water bill assistance, noting that Apple Valley’s water costs and structure differ from other communities.
o Food assistance.
o Rent assistance.
o Disaster preparedness.
WDD contributes direct funding to support workforce development and achieves a measurable return on investment. It actively collaborates with Apple Valley to post jobs on CalJOBS and social media. For example, WDD helped an individual secure employment at 360 Behavioral Health at St. Mary’s. One of its primary activities is job placement, and it works with both job seekers and businesses. WDD also partners with schools and higher education institutions to provide on-the-job training.
How is Apple Valley doing today?
All but one participant rated Apple Valley a “3” on a scale of 1 to 5 (the other rating was a “4”).
Participants noted that progress has been made in providing services to Town residents, but additional opportunities remain.
HUD FHF rated Apple Valley as 3 because the organization is new to the Valley and does not yet have enough information to assess the level of service being provided. Symba rated Apple Valley a 3 because the organization believes the Town underestimates and underreports the number of unsheltered individuals and does not fully understand the extent of need. Symba noted that many people may be living in their cars and therefore may not be counted as unhoused. The organization also expressed concern that, as costs rise, seniors are moving from secure to vulnerable housing situations, and that there may be more intellectually disabled unhoused individuals than the Town has acknowledged. CHAN described Apple Valley as a leader in the High Desert in terms of the services it provides.
Participants noted that Apple Valley “leads the pack” in efforts to move unhoused individuals off the street through tiny homes and to bring more fresh food to low-income residents. They indicated that momentum is strong and conditions on the street are moving in the right direction, while also acknowledging that gaps remain because need continues to exceed available resources.
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WDD rated Apple Valley a “3” in economic development because of polarization in the Town around development issues. However, participants noted that infrastructure growth is helping attract new businesses. They also highlighted the Town’s strong social media outreach, which is helping improve perceptions of economic development. At the same time, participation in WDD programs appears to be declining. WDD holds an annual job fair in Apple Valley; more than 700 people attended in 2025, compared with approximately 500 this year.
Where could Apple Valley make the biggest difference? Where could they invest? All partners expressed interest in more communication and regular meetings with the Town, particularly given recent changes in leadership and staff.
HUD FHF – Increase communication and remain responsive to changing community needs. Symba – Acknowledge the full extent of homelessness in Apple Valley. Participants noted that when accurate numbers are not reported, the Town may miss opportunities to secure additional funding. Symba also expressed disappointment with changes to the Apple Valley website, noting that it has become more difficult to find resources and information about critical services. The organization recommended reviewing the websites of Victorville and Hesperia as potential models.
CHAN – Bring in businesses and partners to help meet community needs and address service gaps. CHAN also emphasized the need to make housing more affordable, noting that homeownership remains part of the American dream but is becoming increasingly difficult.
Participants noted that Apple Valley is more expensive than Victorville. WDD – Encourage more residents to take advantage of workforce development programs. WDD emphasized the need to invest in education, training, youth programs, and jobs. The organization would also like more businesses to use their services, including funding available for new hires. Participants noted that Apple Valley once had approximately 7,900 business licenses, but that number has declined significantly. WDD also requested more regular meetings and communication with Apple Valley, particularly given changes in staff and leadership, including recurring roundtable meetings.
6 RESULTS
The meeting concluded with a brief overview of the strategic visioning timeline, moving from community engagement to strategic planning with leadership and ultimately to final strategic plan development and release.
The consultants thanked the community partners for their participation and committed to notifying them when the final plan is released.