Open House of the Completed Canon Perdido Affordable Homes

You are invited to the Canon Perdido Open House

With just the last details left on the homes of the Canon Perdido Project, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County would like to invite you to an open house event on Saturday, November 15th 2014. The project homes are located at 822 E. Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara CA 93103.

Designed by architects Ryan Mills and Ed DeVicente, the units range from 750-1,200 square feet each and are 100% affordable and very low income units. The project includes 2 three-bedroom units, 8 two-bedroom units, and 2 one-bedroom units, which are all completely accessible to disabled persons.

Built in line with Passive House standards, the project aimed to achieve “near zero” energy usage on the homes by combining passive components such as window placements, insulation, Energy Star appliances and building wrap with “active components such as solar thermal and photovoltaic systems. With the finishing touches being added, these homes will be the first affordable housing development in Southern California certified as a “Passive House”, and the homes will have a 70-80% reduction in energy use over the current energy code requirements.

Before the homeowners move in, Habitat for Humanity would love to welcome the community to tour the finished develeopment of the homes and the future homeowners will be offerring tours of their new homes throughout the day! Georgia's Smokehouse gourmet food truck, offering a full menu, will be parked onsite from 11:30-1:30pm.

We would like to thank the donors, volunteers, and community for this joint effort in successfully completing this project and would like to share with the community and those interested in what Habitat for Humanity has been involved with for the past two years!

Please come join us and we hope to see you soon.

Spotlight on unique items in the ReStore

For those familiar with the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, a trip to the ReStore is like searching through a treasure trove. With new items coming in daily, you never know what you might happen to find in the ReStore and how unique many of our items are.

Today, we'd like to put a spotlight on two items and also our "Steal of the Week"!

Here we have a Brass Coat Hanger, which is about 70" in height. This coat hanger can be a wonderful addition to adding a touch of class to a living room or the entrance hallway of a home. This item is unique due to the design and the color that exudes charming vibes. This item is available at the ReStore for $75.00 and is under inventory as U011.

Another wonderful item is this Glass Top Coffee Table, which is 48"x 34"x 19 1/2". The combination of wood and glass with the metal detailing under creates a beautiful piece to have in one's home. This item is available in the ReStore for $150.00 and is under U033.

      As for the "Steal of the Week", we have a Mirabelle undermount sink (M015) which measures at 20"x 16". This sink was originally priced at $50.00 but is now $20.00 as the "Steal of the Week"! Every week, an item goes on a special sale as the "Steal of the Week" and is sold for even cheaper than the already reduced price at the ReStore! Continue to check on the Habitat website under the ReStore tab to check for the weekly special.

      The ReStore at the Habitat for Humanity in the Southern Santa Barbara County sells home improvement products and 100% of the proceeds go back to Habitat. The materials that are sold in the ReStore are donated from the community and the proceeds help to cover administrative costs. Because of this, Habitat is able to point a large majority of the funds raised to go towards our low income building projects. Shopping in or donating to the ReStore is a way that one can help support Habitat's mission to provide affordable housing in Santa Barbara.

      The ReStore is located on 6860 Cortona Drive, Suite A, Goleta CA 93117. The ReStore is open from 11am-5pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Swing by and look around the Restore and you'll never know what unique and special items you may find.

Another successful A Brush with Kindness Project, completed

      On a beautiful day last Saturday in Santa Barbara, a total of over 70 volunteers from Thrivent Builds Lutheran and students from Westmont College and Concordia of Oregan's women soccer players came together to provide assistance with one of  Habitat's A Brush with Kindness projects.

      Habitat's A Brush with Kindness program works to help low-income or fixed-income homeowners to restore their homes to be a safe and decent place to live, through minor exterior repairs. The program provides materials and volunteer labor to make improvements to a house affordable and possible. Able-bodied homeowners work alongside Habitat's volunteers as part of their "sweat equity", which is central to Habitat's home building program. Through this program, homeowners are able to regain the pride of home-ownership and maintain the value of their homes. 

      With volunteers from Thrivent Builds Lutheran and 26 college students per house, volunteers assisted with exterior maintenance, which included a full power washing and an exterior paint job. The home repair work was for three senior female homeowners and volunteers are seen here assisting and putting their efforts to bringing repairs to the home.

      A Brush with Kindness complements Habitat for Humanity’s construction programs that bring decent and affordable homes to low-income families. All partner families must meet Habitat’s income requirements, as well as show a need for crucial exterior repairs and a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.

      For more information on how you can volunteer on an upcoming A Brush with Kindness project or in the Restore, please visit www.sbhabitat.org or call 805-692-2226.

Habitat for Humanity's Volunteer of the Year, Dennis Kirby

      Throughout the year, Habitat for Humanity continues to have a flow of volunteers who dedicate their time on our building projects, A Brush with Kindness projects, and in also in our ReStore.

      Dennis Kirby, who has put in 770 volunteer hours at the ReStore, has been awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award. A dedicated volunteer since 2009, we have been so blessed to have a volunteer who gives back to their community. Please join us as we recognize this year's Volunteer of the Year and thank him for all the dedication he has put into the ReStore. 

      The ReStore at the Habitat for Humanity in the Southern Santa Barbara County sells home improvement products and 100% of the proceeds go back to Habitat. The materials sold in the ReStore are donated from the community and the proceeds go to Habitat and helps to cover administrative costs. This allows Habitat to use a large majority of the funds raised to go towards our low income building projects. Donating or shopping at the Restore is a way that you can help support Habitat's mission to provide affordable housing in Santa Barbara!

      The ReStore is located on 6860 Cortona Drive, Suite A, Goleta CA 93117. We are open from 11am-5pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays! Come check out the ReStore and we definitely encourage you all to get involved in our community as well!

Induction of the 500 Hours Volunteer Club's youngest member, Anna!

At Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara, volunteers make up a large amount of the hours that are put into different areas and projects. The ReStore, building projects, and A Brush with Kindness projects are all completed with the help of many volunteers, and we are fortunate and thankful to each and every volunteer.

Today, we have a volunteer who we would like to thank for her time here at Habitat. A Santa Barbara local and student who attends UC Davis, Anna has been volunteering with us in the ReStore every summer since 2012 and we are blessed to induct her into the "500 Club".

The "500 Club" is a group of volunteers who have put in over 500 hours of service and time at the Habitat ReStore. You can recognize members of this awesome group of volunteers by their ReStore hats.

Currently, Anna is the youngest member of the "500 Club", and received her member hat on her last day today.  We are so thankful for her service and time and wish her the best as she goes off to England to study abroad.

Introducing Shelby Messner, AmeriCorps National Service Member

A new face to Habitat, Shelby Messner is a recent graduate from the City and Regional Planning program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Through her schooling as a City and Regional Planning major, she has developed a passion for community engagement and involvement  as tools to make stronger communities. She has a strong interest in sustainability and strives to be environmentally conscious in all aspects of her life, as well as for the future of her community.

As an Americorp National Service Member, Shelby is a part of civil society program through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). This federal agency plays an important role in strengthening the nonprofit sector and challenges in America through service. CNCS strives to strengthen communities and improve the lives of individuals through volunteering and service. 

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Shelby is glad to be back and to be serving her home community. Through her time at Habitat, she hopes to have a good experience working with the community. She is glad to be working with an organization that works directly to provide housing within a community, which ties in with her interest in housing needs. As a graduate who studied City and Regional Planning, she is looking forward to applying what she has learned and is ready to get to work here at Habitat.

Habitat ReStore Steal of the Week

Every week the Habitat ReStore puts one item on deep discount as the Steal of the Week.

This week's Steal of the Week is a beautiful 9-Light Chandelier. It was $230, now just $50.

The Steal of the Week is valid through the close of business on Saturday. The item must be paid in full and removed from the store at the time of purchase. Holds are not allowed on Steal of the Week merchandise.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore
6860 Cortona Drive, Suite A
Goleta, CA  93117
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11am to 5pm
805-692-2226
www.sbhabitat.org/restore.php

Construction update on the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County is 85% complete with construction. In July Habitat welcomed volunteer groups from Curvature, Procore, and Reality Church, as well as many individuals, who helped prime, paint, hang drywall, install base board and much more at the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes site. 

Construction progress at the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes site. 

Volunteers from Curvature pose for a group photo.

Volunteers from ProCore working on the 2nd floor balcony railing. 

Volunteers from Reality Church pose before the workday begins. 

Volunteers provide a bulk of our labor and allow Habitat to keep construction costs at a minimum. Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who have helped with framing, insulation, drywall, painting and much more. We are able to provide permanent and affordable housing for low-income families because of your time and support.

We are in the final weeks of construction. If you haven't volunteered yet, there is still time. Individual volunteers can sign up for shifts directly online.  If you are interested in confirming a group workday for your business or organization, please contact Habitat by email or at 692-2226.