Thanking our Intern

Here at Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County we are lucky to have three great colleges and universities close-by. This means we have a number of wonderful interns who pass through our doors and help with daily office tasks, event planning, social media, etc.

This past summer we welcomed a wonderful intern from UCSB. Caitlin dedicated her summer to interning in our office and she was a friendly, efficient, and hard-working addition to the team. We were sad to see her go earlier this month, but thankfully UCSB is only a stone's throw from our office.

Thanks, Caitlin!

ReStore entrance change during construction

Starting October 19th the ReStore entrance will be off of Los Carneros Road due to construction near the Cabrillo Business Park. We apologize for any confusion this may cause but will have signs up re-directing cars.

This new route will start on Wednesday, October 19th and will remain for the month of October.

All open hours will remain the same:

Tuesday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Thursday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Friday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

ReStore Inventory

ReStore Inventory, a set on Flickr.

Tons of new inventory in the Habitat ReStore this week. From GE Electric Ranges to pianos and writing desks, the ReStore is full of wonderful home-improvement items, discounted furniture and more. Be sure to come by soon!

DIY Mailbox from the Habitat ReStore

Habitat for Humanity Santa Barbara loves receiving photos of Do-It-Yourself projects made from materials found at the ReStore. The ReStore is part of Habitat's overall "green" initiative and we're thrilled that people look to the ReStore as a source before buying brand new products. 

Today we received photos from a DIY mailbox project. 85% of the materials and tools used on this mailbox came from the ReStore, 14% came from reclaimed materials from the house itself and 1% was purchased new for the project itself (only glue). Now that's a ratio that we love to hear.

Enjoy the photo collage. Click on the photo to make it larger.

Day of Caring

On Saturday we welcomed a wonderful group of volunteers through United Way's Day of Caring. The volunteers were enormously helpful in our ReStore and a hardworking crew!

Three of the volunteers help Joel clear out an entire portion of our parking lot where we store oversized material and items that do not need to be covered. It was a huge job and they completed it all! The remaining volunteers organized the ReStore's blinds, nuts and bolts drawers, the tool section, and cleaned many of the large appliances. It's a huge blessing getting big groups of volunteers like these and we're thankful for all the work they did last Saturday.

New Habitat affordable homes project update

Plans for the 12 low-income Habitat for Humanity homes which will be built on Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara are coming along. We will soon receive recommendations from the  Development Application Review Team which has been reviewing the architectural plans for the past month. We are on schedule to submit the plans to the Santa Barbara Planning Commission and Architectural Board of Review later this fall.   

Habitat for Humanity Family Partner Update

Last December Raquel and her young daughter were given keys to their new Habitat for Humanity home in Santa Barbara. Before moving into their new home the two lived at St. Vincent's, a transitional housing facility for single mothers and their children.

The stability of owning their own home has allowed the two to thrive and just 9 months after moving in, Raquel is about to begin a new chapter and a dream she thought was out of reach. Raquel will begin studying for a masters degree in Psychology later this month. With the consistency and security that comes with owning her own home Raquel is able to devote more attention to her daughter and focus on their futures.  

Habitat Volunteer Lending his Support to Haiti

During the week of November 5-12 local Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County volunteer David Chapman will travel to Haiti to volunteer as part of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Working alongside international volunteers and Haitian families, David will give a week of his time to help build 100 core houses in Leogane, a town 18 miles west of Port-au-Prince. The January 2010 earthquake's epicenter was located 8 miles directly below Leogane, destroying more than 80% of the town's structures and leaving thousands homeless.  

The 400 international volunteers supporting this year's Carter Work Project will build with many of the Haitians who have already been trained by Habitat for Humanity Haiti local resource center. Eventually, the new community called "Santo" will provide as many as 500 families with a healthy and secure place to live. Habitat has worked with the local families to address all the needs of the community, such as: house designs, environmental concerns, employment opportunities, proper water and sanitation, education, and of course infrastructure. Check out this site for more information on the Carter Work Project.

David has been a wonderful and dedicated Habitat volunteer in Santa Barbara, putting in over 350 volunteer hours at the San Pascual build site. Please join us in thanking David for his commitment to building affordable homes here and in Haiti.