ReStore Anniversary Sale

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is having a sale on Saturday May 9th, 2015!

To celebrate the ReStore's 7th year in business it will be hosting a storewide 40% off sale. The ReStore sells new and gently used building materials, furniture, and appliances at discounted prices. All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.

The ReStore Address

6860 Cortona Drive (Suite A) 

Goleta, CA 93117 

Hours

Tuesday-Friday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Sunday & Monday: Closed

Volunteer Spotlight

Last week the Habitat for Humanity ReStore celebrated awesome volunteer, Susana. Susana has volunteered over 500 hours in the ReStore since she started volunteering last year.

This week 11 students from Providence Christian School came out and volunteered at the ReStore. Their help is critical in the functioning of the ReStore on a day to day basis. A huge thank you to Susana, the students from the Providence Christian School, and the other volunteers who help make the ReStore a success.

Volunteers are the heart of Habitat for Humanity and keep our critical programs running. Below are some of the volunteer opportunities currently available with Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County.

ReStore Volunteers:

Volunteers assist ReStore employees. Tasks include sorting, pricing and cleaning donated items, shelving new inventory and assisting customers.

Construction and Repair Volunteers:

While we are between new construction projects volunteers help with the A Brush with Kindness program which provides exterior repairs for low-income homeowners. No previous construction experience is required.

Group Opportunities:

Bring together friends, family and co-workers for a group build day. Groups help on the new construction projects on A Brush with Kindness projects and in the ReStore. 

Click here to sign up for any of these volunteer opportunities.

Earth Day Work Day

Volunteers and staff from Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County joined in on the Earth Day festivities in Downtown, Santa Barbara. As one of the many booths at the annual Earth Day festival, volunteers were able to connect with community members and talk about current and upcoming projects. These projects include volunteering at the ReStore, Cars for Homes, and A Brush with Kindness.

Also happening over the weekend, Habitat for Humanity of Southern California completed another A Brush with Kindness home repair project. Volunteers came together to complete home repairs for senior homeowner, Phil.

Volunteers worked Saturday and Sunday providing exterior repairs, clearing overgrown landscaping, planting succulents, and painting the exterior of the home.

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.

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 + Volunteers= Another Completed A Brush with Kindness Project

On January 20th 2015, volunteers from Cate School partnered with Habitat for Humanity Southern Santa Barbara County to complete another A Brush with Kindness home repair project. Sponsored by Thrivent Financial, 82 students and faculty came together to complete home repairs for an elderly low-income homeowner.

 Unable to make repairs himself due to MS, the students and faculty worked during the day to provide exterior repairs to the home, clear overgrown landscaping, plant drought resistant plants, build a new walkway, and clean the full exterior of the home.

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. 

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.

New Items in the ReStore for 2015

With the New Year, comes new items at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. You can check online for new item updates as well as stop by the Restore. Here are some interesting items that have come in the past two months:



"Drink Cart"

Item Number: XO86

Price: $65

"Lamp Table"

Item Number: X077

Price: $125

"Hand Beaten Brass Bar Sink"

Item Number: X099

Price: $250

We have very unique and special items that are donated to the ReStore daily. Whether it is a small lamp or even a beautiful door, the ReStore has many gems that have appeal and character.

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.



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!

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.

The Status of Affordable Housing in California

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a great report on the state of affordable housing in California.

As Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County recently accepted applications for the 12 new Habitat homes being built on Canon Perdido Street, we witnessed the negative impact that the high cost of rental housing and traditional mortgages have had on many working families in our community.  Many middle and low-income families are priced out of the market due to the extremely high rental and home prices. According to the report: a minimum wage worker earning $8.00 an hour would have to work 130 hours a week, every week of the year, in order to make enough money to pay the fair market rent that is average for California. The situation is even worse in Santa Barbara where rental prices and home prices are higher than the state average.

Below is the report found at http://nlihc.org/oor/2012/CA:

Out of Reach 2012: California

In California, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,353. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities – without paying more than 30% of income on housing – a household must earn $4,511 monthly or $54,127 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $26.02.

In California, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $8.00. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 130 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or a household must include 3.3 minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week year-round in order to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable.

In California, the estimated mean (average) wage for a renter is $17.68. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage, a renter must work 59 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, working 40 hours per week year-round, a household must include 1.5 workers earning the mean renter wage in order to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable.

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.

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.

Volunteer Spotlight on Amy

On Wednesday Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers recognized Amy for her 25 hours served in the ReStore. We love to celebrate volunteers for their dedication to Habitat's work in Santa Barbara. After 25 hours, every volunteer gets a personalized name-tag and certificate, and for every 100 hours there after, volunteers get a Habitat pin to add to their name-tag.

Are you looking for volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Santa Barbara? Our next volunteer orientation will be held on Saturday, June 16th at 6725 Hollister Avenue. You can also sign up to volunteer directly online here.

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