2009 Investee Organizations

Casa Esperenza’s investment award of $31,000 to launch its Good Cookie baked goods business using its commercial kitchen in overnight hours to produce cookies sold through retail and wholesale distribution.  From taste testing to final product development, from the final marketing strategy to the implementation of the career training program, assistance from SVPSB will be vital every step of the way. 

This project will create self-generated revenue to fund the Shelter and Kitchen operations and create to a new job training program for our homeless members (clients) who will receive a job, develop on-the-job skills, and experience regular sessions and supervision with Casa Esperanza’s Job Development Coach. Eventually this will become a certified job-training program to support the expanded product line and drive growth.  This will help our homeless members to establish skill-based jobs in any community throughout the country. 

Partner Resources include business planning, small business/ start up  experience, marketing and distribution experience, accounting and production tracking experience, quality control.  For more information on Casa Esperanza visit www.Casa-esperanza.org. 

WillBridge of Santa Barbara, Inc.’s investment award of $25,000 will be used to expand its infrastructure and serve more chronically homeless mentally ill individuals.   This investment will assist and support WillBridge in altering its infrastructure and enabling them to accommodate future organizational growth, focusing on capacity building in the areas of Board and Management Development, Strategic Planning and Fund Development.

WillBridge provides transitional housing and care for the people in our community that no one else wants.  They serve severely mentally ill, chronically homeless individuals many of whom have been on the streets for 20 years or more.  Long term the Willbridge vision includes adding new facilities to serve more of Santa Barbara’s homeless mentally ill adults. This dream can become a reality with the proper tools and infrastructure in place.   SVPSB will provide consulting, planning and coaching services to help WillBridge transition from a grass roots organization to a more sophisticated organization.

Partner Resources include Board Development, Executive Coaching, Strategic Planning, Fund Development.   For more information on Willbridge of Santa Barbara, Inc. visit www.willbridgeofsantabarbarainc.org