Ground Breaking at The Via Lucero Site
From left to right: Board President Mark Grosch, Mayor of Santa Barbara Marty Blum, Former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, Councilwoman Helene Schneider, Santa Barbara Housing Authority Executive Director Rob Pearson, Congresswoman Lois Capps, Board Member Dennis Peterson, and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County Joyce McCullough.
Ground Breaking
Major donors, community leaders and the media joined us for our ground-breaking on the first local project by Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County. The rain cleared at just the right time to make it a perfect day. Thanks to all of those who were able to join us on this very special day.
Volunteer Opportunities
Do you speak Spanish? We desperately need Spanish-speaking volunteers to help answer questions, send letters and help with other office duties that will serve our Spanish-speaking clients and homeowners. If you are interested in helping please give our office a call at 692-2226 or email mail@sbhabitat.org.
The Family Partnership Committee needs your help. Do you want to help build a comprehensive program for our homeowners, assisting them with budgeting and other financial matters, working with them to clarify their participation in a condominium association, providing them with home maintenance classes and other informal classes that will prepare them for the responsibilities that come with home ownership? If so, we want to hear from you! Email mail@sbhabitat.org today!
Via Lucero Update
Another serious delay occurred with the torrential amounts of rain in our area this winter. Now that spring has finally arrived, earth-moving equipment will soon be on site, removing excess soil, re-compacting and grading the remaining soil, and building retaining walls around the rear perimeter of the property. We expect this portion of the project to take between three and five months, and we’ll keep you abreast of when volunteers can come out to help build.
Family Selection Update
From an initial group of 150 families, processing the applications, doing credit checks and home visits, our family selection committee has completed their work. Look for an announcement soon about the three families who will build their homes on Via Lucero with Habitat volunteers.
Thanks to some very important donors!
The Weingart Foundation recently approved a $60,000 grant for our project, and the Towbes Foundation approved a $2,500 grant that will help us in our volunteer coordination efforts. Thanks to so many of you who already are our faithful supporters, we have raised over 80% of the money needed to build the Via Lucero project, and over half of our operating budget but we are not there yet! Donations can be sent to our office at P.O. Box 176, Goleta, CA 93116 or can be made online by clicking here.
Wanted:
Several local churches have generously supported us with monetary gifts this season - and we thank you for your support. We would like to broaden our coalition of faith communities that would like to partner with Habitat to provide affordable housing for deserving local families. If your church, temple or group would like more information on how you can work with us, please call the office at 692-2226. We are delighted to speak at church services or other events.
We are also on the lookout for other groups where we can tell the Habitat story. Thanks to the Kiwanis Club, several of the Rotary groups, and others who have invited us to join them at one of their meetings. If you participate in a group or a business that's looking for a speaker, suggest Habitat and learn more about this wonderful organization.