Stories from Home is documentary series of photographs about housing in the Coachella Valley commissioned by Lift To Rise. Over the past year and a half photographer Noé Montes has been meeting with residents of the Coachella Valley to listen to their stories and document them in order to inform the work that Lift To Rise is doing toward more equitable and affordable housing in the Valley. It is a complex issue but at the center of it is the fact that many of the people who are the backbone of the region’s economy are struggling to stay housed and provide stability and safety for their families. It is our belief that learning about each other will help us empathize with each other and move us toward the goal of having all residents of the Coachella Valley have a safe and stable home.

Photography by Noé Montes

Writing by Melissa Daniels and Noé Montes

Lift to Rise is a bold declaration that this beautiful corner of the Southern California desert so many people call home is a place where all people can thrive. For more information visit lifttorise.org.

Noé Montes was born in Modesto, CA. He grew up in a family of migrant farm workers that traveled throughout California’s Central Valley following harvests. Over the last twenty years, Noé has developed a socially engaged practice in which he creates documentary work around a specific social issue or geographic location. Working with local partners, he then uses that work as a tool for community and civic engagement through programming that includes exhibits, workshops and community dialogues. He also works to integrate the stories of the communities he documents into the American historical narrative. For more information visit noemontes.com.

For inquiries please contact Noé Montes at noe@noemontes.com