Do you or a neighbor own your home but can’t afford to keep up with the exterior maintenance? A Brush with Kindness is a program that helps preserve homeownership 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.
Habitat for Humanity’s program “A Brush with Kindness” provides work that includes exterior painting, landscaping and completing minor fence repairs on homes of low-income homeowners.
Family income must be under 80% of Santa Barbara County’s median income (see chart below)
Family Size |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Maximum Income |
$41,440 |
$47,360 |
$53,280 |
$59,200 |
$64,000 |
$68,720 |
- Homes must be owner-occupied
- Homeowners are willing to partner with staff and volunteers
- Homeowners make an affordable re-payment to Habitat for Humanity for the cost of materials to complete the work
- A Brush with Kindness is about connecting people and restoring homes through simple acts of kindness so that homeowners can once again live in a safe and decent home.