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.

A Brush with Kindness: house painting

Last Saturday, September 15th, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County welcomed a group of volunteers from United Way's Day of Caring and Santa Barbara Bank and Trust at the current A Brush with Kindness home repair project site. Over the course of the day the volunteers painted the exterior of the house. Despite a very warm day, the volunteers kept the energy high and completed the project!

A Brush with Kindness is a program to help preserve home-ownership by partnering with homeowners struggling to restore and maintain a safe and decent place to live. When basic expenses exceed income month after month, home maintenance is the usual casualty. Years of deferred maintenance can cause a downward spiral of home deterioration and unsafe living conditions.
A Brush with Kindness provides work that includes exterior painting, landscaping and completing minor fence repairs on homes of low-income homeowners.

If you or someone you know needs this type of help, please contact the Habitat office at 805-692-2226 or mail@sbhabitat.org for an eligibility form. 

Canon Perdido Affordable Homes update

The Canon Perdido Affordable Homes project received final approval from the Architectural Board of Review in late June. We anticipate receiving building permits in late-September to break ground on the 12 new homes this fall!

Our Family Selection Committee has completed all of the home visits for the qualifying homeowner applicants. They are currently going through the applications and will have the 12 families selected by early August. This is a huge job and we would like to thank Gloria Marcias-Perez, Jeannie Christensen, Marcy Jochim, Melissa Colborn, Kathy Clenet, Angela Bell, Jay Higgins, Ingrid Sarrat, and Inger Budke for their tireless dedication and many hours spent processing the applications. 

Below are a few snapshots of the Family Selection Volunteers helping at the April informational meetings for all interested applicants.

Family Selection for 12 Canon Perdido homes

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will begin accepting applications for the 12 new Canon Perdido low-income homes later this spring. If you would like to be added to our list to receive more information on how to qualify, and the application process, please contact us at 692-2226 or mail@sbhabitat.org.

 

How are families selected? 

Habitat provides homes for people who have low-to-very low income status. The total annual income must be between 40-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Examples for 2011 below. Note: figures subject to change.

• 1 person family total income--$20,280 - $30,420
• 2 person family total income--$23,160 - $34,740
• 3 person family total income--$26,040 - $39,060
• 4 person family total income--$28,920 - $43,3800
• 5 person family total income--$31,240 - $46,860

Applications for Partner Families are accepted based on 5 criteria:

• Currently live in deteriorated, unsafe or overcrowded conditions;
• Family income between 40% to 60% of area median income;
• Willingness to partner with Habitat through "sweat equity" on the construction of their home;
• Ability to pay a no-interest mortgage to Habitat;
• Have lived or worked in Santa Barbara for at least 1 year.

Information sessions will be held in April in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria. We will keep you undated on when and where these will be held around Southern Santa Barbara County. 

Habitat's last completed project on the west side of Santa Barbara.

A very productive year for Habitat for Humanity!

Some exciting news from Habitat for Humanity International yesterday:

Habitat for Humanity helped more than 81,000 low-income families around the world with new or improved housing in 2011

ATLANTA (Dec. 6, 2011) — Habitat for Humanity helped 81,399 families improve their shelter conditions through new construction, rehabilitation and repairs during its 2011 fiscal year (July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) in nearly 80 countries around the world. This breaks Habitat's previous record set in the last fiscal year of 74,960 families served.

	Volunteers and supporters helped Habitat for Humanity serve more than 81,000 families during its 2011 fiscal year.

"We are so grateful to the volunteers and supporters who have enabled us to help tens of thousands of families around the world gain access to decent and affordable housing," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "With their ongoing support, we will continue to significantly increase the number of families served annually through our broad spectrum of programs."

In addition to the assistance provided through its construction and repair programs, Habitat for Humanity also helped more than 6,000 families establish legal rights to a house or land and provided more than 157,000 individuals with technical assistance including legal help, financial literacy training, and construction advice and training.

A copy of Habitat for Humanity International's fiscal year 2011 annual report, which gives a snapshot of Habitat's work around the world, is now available online at http://www.habitat.org/support/report/default.aspx.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitat.org, or follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat's blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.