Monday, September 24, 2012

More United Way Day of Caring Photos

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County was thankful to host two groups of volunteers during United Way's Day of Caring on September 15th.  A group of volunteers from Westmont College joined us at the Habitat ReStore, while another group from Santa Barbara Bank and Trust helped with exterior home repairs at our A Brush with Kindness project in the Hidden Valley neighborhood of Santa Barbara.

Day of Caring volunteers from Westmont College.
Day of Caring volunteers from Santa Barbara Bank and Trust.
One completed wall of the A Brush with Kindness house.

United Way of Santa Barbara posted a number of photos from the day on their Facebook page. See if you can spot the photos of the volunteers out at the Habitat A Brush with Kindness site! 

And thank you to all of the volunteers who spend their day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity! We rely on volunteers to accomplish our mission of providing safe, decent, and affordable housing.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A Brush with Kindness: house painting

Last Saturday, September 15th, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County welcomed a group of volunteers from United Way's Day of Caring and Santa Barbara Bank and Trust at the current A Brush with Kindness home repair project site. Over the course of the day the volunteers painted the exterior of the house. Despite a very warm day, the volunteers kept the energy high and completed the project!


A Brush with Kindness is a program to help preserve home-ownership by partnering with homeowners struggling to restore and maintain a safe and decent place to live. When basic expenses exceed income month after month, home maintenance is the usual casualty. Years of deferred maintenance can cause a downward spiral of home deterioration and unsafe living conditions.
A Brush with Kindness provides work that includes exterior painting, landscaping and completing minor fence repairs on homes of low-income homeowners.

If you or someone you know needs this type of help, please contact the Habitat office at 805-692-2226 or mail@sbhabitat.org for an eligibility form. 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Meet a Habitat Partner Family: The Bazans


Over the course of the following year we will introduce a new partner family each month.

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County is proud to partner with the Bazan Family in the construction of their new home. Sara and Angel Bazan are the parents of two boys: Chimaway and Casmali. The family currently lives in a semi-converted garage which is not of adequate size for a family of four. The boys are looking forward to living closer to the Boys' and Girls' Club where they are involved in music groups.




The Bazans were selected from a large applicant pool due to their need for affordable and adequate shelter, their willingness to partner with Habitat, and their ability to pay a no-interest mortgage. They will be one of the 12 new homeowners of the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes.

Sara and Angel will begin Habitat's Homeownership Readiness Curriculum later this month which will prepare them to be successful and long-term homeowners. The 16-month curriculum begins with an 8-week financial literacy course taught by the Santa Barbara Housing Authority.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Family Partner Reception

In late August Habitat for Humanity of Santa Barbara County held a reception for the 12 new families who will own one of the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes.

It was a wonderful evening celebrating with the families. It was a joy to see the families meet their future neighbors and the 23 children become fast friends. Below are some photos from the evening.


 

Monday, September 10, 2012

A Brush with Kindness Home repair this past weekend

This past Saturday, September 8th, a group of volunteers from Vandenberg Air Force Base helped Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County repair the home of a low-income homeowner in Santa Barbara. The home repair was part of Habitat's A Brush with Kindness program.

It was a great day and the group accomplished a lot! Here two photos of volunteers out at the work site.



Habitat for Humanity is looking to help out qualified residents of Southern Santa Barbara County with our A Brush With Kindness  program. The  program provides necessary home repairs for homeowners that are unable to make them on their own do to physical or financial limitations. ABWK provides consist of minor exterior repairs, landscaping, and or painting, and are performed by an all-volunteer workforce in just a few days.

If you, or someone you know, needs assistance with home repairs, a preliminary application can be found online. Please fill it out and return it to mail@sbhabitat.org or Habitat for Humanity of SSBC, PO Box 176, Goleta, CA 93116.