Local support is helping rebuild Haiti

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara Countyis proud to support the relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti through Habitat for Humanity International, (read more about these specific efforts and five-year plan). 

Since the devastating January 2010 earthquake, our Habitat affiliate in Santa Barbara has donated $7,500 to the relief efforts In Haiti. Additionally, local individuals have contributed over $3,000 directly to Haiti though our office.  Habitat affiliates are encouraged to donate 10% of their unrestricted revenue to home building efforts outside the U.S. In many cases, the cost of building a home abroad is much lower than in the US, so every donation goes a long way toward helping those in need.

We are proud that three of our local church partners - Ocean Hills CovenantChurch, Montecito Covenant Church, and Community Covenant Church - have also contributed financially to Habitat for Humanity International's rebuilding efforts in Haiti through Covenant World Relief. Covenant World Relief, the humanitarian aid ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church, donated $250,000 in 2011 to Habitat's disaster recovery and transitional building project in Haiti. "It's exciting for me as a local pastor whose church partners with Habitat to see our denominational relief agency also partner with Habitat globally in Haiti. This leveraging of humanitarian resources demonstrates great stewardship, trust and collaboration," says Don N. Johnson, senior pastor at Montecito Covenant Church.

Is your church or organization supporting the rebuilding effort in Haiti? We'd love to hear from you. 


Click here to learn more about the need in Haiti
Click here to learn more about HFH Haiti  

Need for Affordable Housing in Santa Barbara

Come to Santa Barbara and you may wonder why there is a need for affordable housing. It's no secret that there is great wealth in Santa Barbara, but poverty does exist and many families live and try to make ends meet on an income that does not match with the housing or rental market prices in our community.

According to the 2010 Census:

• 42% of the population of Santa Barbara earns less than $50,000 per year;
• Nearly half the population (45.9%) rents rather than owns their homes;
• and of that group, half (49.5%) pay more than 35% of their monthly income on rent. 

Furthermore, according to an article in today's Santa Barbara News-Press ("Home sales picking up in South County", March 25, 2012) the median home sale price from Jan-Feb 2012 was $761,000 for the region from Goleta to Carpinteria. Excluding the two most expensive neighborhoods in town (Hope Ranch and Montecito), the median price was $665,000. This amount prices out 42% of the population  that does not earn the wages needed to afford such a home.

Housing is defined by the federal government as affordable when the cost does not exceed 30% of a household’s annual income. Families who pay more than this are considered “cost burdened” and often have difficulty paying for other necessities such as food, clothing, and transportation. 

The high cost of housing in Santa Barbara means that hundreds of low-income families are forced to live in overcrowded apartments or converted garages, many of which do not meet minimum health and safety standards. This is why Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County exists in this community.  We partner with qualified low-income families and empower them to become homeowners through interest-free loans and a no-profit mortgage. This provides families a hand up, not a hand out.

A Brush with Kindness this weekend

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will complete our 5th A Brush with Kindness home repair this upcoming weekend. Over the course of two days Habitat for Humanity will partner with groups of volunteers from Ergomotion and Vandenberg Air Force Base. This project will focus on repairing and providing fire brush clearing work on the yard of a retired school teacher's home in Santa Barbara.

A Brush with Kindness (ABWK) is a program that assists low or fixed income homeowners with external home repairs, landscaping, and painting. ABWK allows Habitat to create better health, safety, and independent living conditions for seniors and low-income families in our community. 

Do you or a neighbor need A Brush with Kindness? Please fill out the eligibility checklist and return to ABWK@sbhabitat.org or Habitat for Humanity of SSBC, PO Box 176, Goleta, CA 93116.



View photos of previous A Brush with Kindness projects here.

Looking for Qualified Homeowners

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will soon begin selecting families for the 12 new affordable homes which will be built on East Canon Perdido Street. Next month Habitat will hold a series of community-wide informational meetings for all interested applicants. We need YOUR help in spreading the word about this upcoming home-ownership opportunity in Santa Barbara!

At 822 and 824 East Canon Perdido Street, Habitat for Humanity will build 12 affordable condominiums, each with a once-car garage. The development will include: two 3-bedroom homes; eight 2-bedroom homes; and two 1-bedroom homes (one of which will be completely accessible to disabled persons. 

Below is a preview of our marketing material communicating the upcoming home-ownership opportunity, Habitat's requirements, and program. If you know of any families or individuals in need of a safe, decent, and affordable place to live in Santa Barbara, please encourage them to attend one of the informational meetings in April. No need to RSVP, these meetings are open to the public.

Click on the above pictures to enlarge.

Canon Perdido Affordable Homes Update

We are pleased to report that the Canon Perdido Affordable Homes project received approval from the Architectural Board of Review on March 5th. Habitat plans to be environmentally friendly in design and construction and is on target to receive a rating of "net zero" energy usage for the 12 new homes.  

Habitat has assembled a design and pre-development team with Habitat's mission at heart. The architects, civil and structural engineers, landscape designers involved in the project are committed to keeping the Canon Perdido project cost effective, environmentally friendly, and volunteer friendly to construct. We are proud to be working with the following team:  

Ed DeVicente and Ryan Mills, Studio DMA (Architects)

Dennis Allen and Bryan Henson, Allen Associates (Construction estimating)

Truitt Vance, Ashley & Vance (Structural engineering)

Robert Winslow, Ashley & Vance (Civil engineering)

Courtney Miller, The Office of Katie O'Reilly Rogers (landscape architect)

John Maloney, JMPE (Electrical engineering)

David Knight, Monterey Energy Group (Mechanical engineering)

Rebecca Novis, Energy Inspectors (Title 24 compliance, energy modeling)

Marshall Howen, Leonard Roofing (energy incentive program applications)