The Impact of Homeownership on Children

Here at Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County we are often asked what ways homeownership benefits children. Many studies have been conducted concerning the impact of homeownership on children, including the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University which concluded that children of homeowners have better home environments, higher cognitive skills, and fewer behavior problems than children of renters. 

The study's results are fascinating. The impact of homeownership on children:

• 23% improvement in cognitive stimulation.
• 17% improvement in reading scores.
• 9% improvement in math scores.
• Lower dropout rates in school.
• Less chance of having a baby before 18.
• More likely to become homeowners themselves.
• Lower incidence of respiratory problems.

Children of homeowners had a 13%–23% higher quality of home environment when compared to children of renters; 9% higher math scores, 7% higher reading scores, and a reduction in children’s behavior problems of up to 3%.

For more information, please read The Impact of Homeownership on Child Outcomes by Donald R. Haurin, Toby L. Parcel, and R. Jean Haurin.

Five kids living in Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County homes.

Local volunteer will extend support to Habitat Alaska

One of our most dedicated ReStore volunteers, Eric Inman, will be traveling to Alaska this summer to help build Habitat for Humanity homes in Anchorage. Eric will be taking part in a Global Village trip, a program of Habitat for Humanity International which strives to bring people from all cultures together to build a true "global village" of love, homes, communities and hope. If you have ever thought about traveling to another country and culture while making a difference in the lives of others, we strongly encourage you to take part in a Global Village trip. They are wonderfully organized, safe trips which truly make a different and leave a lasting positive impact. Eric is a Santa Barbara City College student and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Santa Barbara since 2009. Eric helps Joel, the ReStore Assistant Manager, with donation pick-ups every Wednesday and Friday mornings.  We are thrilled that Eric is expanding his Habitat involvement beyond our community and look forward to hearing about his time building homes in Alaska. To learn more about Eric's upcoming trip, and to support his work in Alaska, please visit Eric's Global Village page: Eric Inman for Anchorage, Alaska.

A Brush with Kindness home repair in Goleta

On Saturday, June 10th a group of  Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County volunteers helped repair the mobile home of a single mother in Goleta. 

The project was part of Habitat's "A Brush with Kindness" program which provides exterior home repairs for low-income homeowners unable to make necessary repairs to their homes. 

Over the course of the day volunteers helped replace windows, completed carpentry projects, and helped re-landscape around the house. As a way to say "thank you," the homeowner cooked lunch for all the volunteers. 

It was a wonderful day of neighbors helping neighbors. Thank you to all who joined Habitat at this home repair in Goleta!

If you or someone you know needs A Brush with Kindness, please fill out the Preliminary Checklist and return it to mail@sbhabitat.org or Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 176, Goleta, CA 93117

Building Homes, Building Hope by the numbers

We are thrilled to share some of Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County's recent goals and results.

GOAL 1: Provide affordable housing in Santa Barbara:

•        Habitat has completed stable homes for 7 families in our community.

•          Habitat will begin construction on 12 more homes in the fall of 2012.

GOAL 2: Partner with low-income homeowners in need of home maintenance:

•        Habitat has completed 6 home repairs through our A Brush with Kindness program.

•         Volunteers from 8 organizations and community groups helped completed these projects.

GOAL 3: Generate a sustainable income for our affiliate though the ReStore:

•        Profits at the ReStore are up 72% for the first six months of this fiscal year.

•          The first six months of the fiscal year ReStore cover 68% of Habitat’s operating costs.

GOAL 4: Facilitate in the re-use of construction materials and home-improvement items:

•        The ReStore truck completed 144 donation pick-ups for the first 5 months of 2012.

•         This is in addition to the 322 donation drop-offs made directly at the ReStore for the same time.

GOAL %: Mobilize volunteers and community groups to support our Habitat's mission:

•         The ReStore welcomed 131 volunteers in 2012, resulting in 1,729 volunteer hours. 

•        From May 2011-May 2012 the ReStore clocked 5,381 volunteer hours. 

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Building Homes, Building Hope in Santa Barbara, CA

We hope you'll take the time to read Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County's June mid-year appeal letter. In it we share information on our upcoming 12 home project on Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara, as well as current goals and successes.

Click on each image to view in a larger format.