Parentclick Expo

On Saturday Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County participated in the Parentclick Expo at La Cumbre Plaza. It was a wonderful event, and a huge turnout of kids and their families out enjoying the sunshine.

Habitat for Humanity was promoting our upcoming home ownership opportunity in Santa Barbara. We will begin construction on 12 new affordable homes for low-income families this fall and will be holding informational meetings in April. We also took the opportunity to remind families about the ReStore and what a great affordable resource it is right here in Santa Barbara.

A big thank you to all the kids who helped Habitat paint two bird houses. These houses will be sold in the Habitat ReStore and the funds will go directly back to Habitat and help fund the construction of affordable homes in our community. 

Children helped paint a (bird) house!

Saturday activities with Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will be participating in some great community events this Saturday - and we hope to see you there.

• PARENTCLICK KIDS EXPO. From 9:30am - 1:30pm on March 3rd at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara. If you're in the neighborhood be sure to stop by and say hi! Habitat will have a kid's coloring game to play in our booth!

• GREEN @ YOUR LIBRARY. From 11:00am - 1:00pm on March 3rd at the Eastside Library (1102 East Montecito Street). If you're on the Eastside be sure to stop by this great event at the local library.

All events are free to the public! And like every Saturday, the Habitat ReStore will be open from 9am to 5pm. 6725 Hollister Avenue, Goleta.

Volunteer Spotlight: Katie Stuwe

We love celebrating our volunteers here at Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County. For one thing, we couldn't do what we do without their commitment and dedication to Habitat's mission. Every week we welcome dozens of volunteers through our doors and we rely on their hard work and effort to keep the ReStore open and running.

Today we celebrated Katie Stuwe. Katie is a UCSB grad student who started volunteering with Habitat in the fall of 2011. Katie regularly volunteers in the ReStore and we're so thankful for her cheerful and friendly personality.

Interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Santa Barbara? Sign up online or attend our next volunteer orientation on March 10th at 10am in the ReStore, 6725 Hollister Avenue, Goleta.

Habitat for Humanity's Valentine's Day List

Habitat for Humanity International released this wonderful list in honor of Valentine's Day. We loved it and couldn't wait to share it with our readers too.

How can you help Habitat? Let us count the ways: Discover a sweetheart of a deal at your local ReStore. Don't miss the May issue of Habitat World for a look at these resale outlets and how they help Habitat do more. Be ours. Join us online as we widen our circle of friends with the addition of our Google+ page, and visit our other social media pages. Make a commitment to regularly support Habitat through our HopeBuilders program. Speak from the heart. Help build on the work of important events like the recent Habitat on the Hill by signing up to be an advocate for policies that improve access to adequate and affordable housing around the world. Play a part in relationships that support Habitat. Learn about special partnerships and purchase opportunities that can help benefit Habitat throughout the year. Serenade with songs that have helped raise $1 million for one Habitat affiliate over the past 20 years. Watch the Habitat World blog for details about our upcoming CD giveaway celebrating songwriter and guitarist Warren Haynes' longtime support of Asheville Area Habitat. (And sign up to receive email notifications when the magazine posts new interactive and multimedia content.) Give the gift of Habitat. Royalties from sales in the Habitat online store help us do more. Remember Haiti. Carter Work Project families are moving into their new homes as you read this, and the work of rebuilding continues. Learn more and donate today. Honor someone special by making a donation to Habitat in their name, a true Gift From the Heart. Spread the word that where homes, communities and hope are built, love grows, too. Thank you for your generosity and support! Happy Valentine's Day!

Homeownership Opportunity in Santa Barbara

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will being selecting families for the 12 new affordable homes which will be built on Canon Perdido Street. Construction on these 12 homes will begin in the fall of 2012. All interested homeowners must attend one of the following information meetings to receive an application.

Habitat for Humanity provides homes for people who have low-to-very low income status. The total annual income cannot exceed 40-80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) in Santa Barbara. 2012 figures below. 

• 1 person family total income--$21,280 - $42,500
• 2 person family total income--$24,320 - $48,600
• 3 person family total income--$27,360 - $54,650
• 4 person family total income--$30,360 - $60,700
• 5 person family total income--$32,800 - $65,600
• 6 person family total income--$35,240 - $70,450

Applications for Partner Families are accepted based on the following criteria:

• Family income between 40% to 80% of area median income;
• Currently living in one of the following substandard conditions: 
• deteriorated, unsafe, or overcrowded housing;
• transitional housing; 
• paying over 50% of total annual family income for rent;
• Ability to make monthly mortgage payments designed to fit within 34$ of the family's income; 
• Willingness to partner with Habitat and invest 250 hours per adult of their own "sweat equity" into their houses, along with attending family partnership curriculum classes that address topics such as mortgages, insurances, and other homeowner responsibilities. 
• Legal resident of the U.S. and have lived or worked in Southern Santa Barbara County for the past year.