SVPSB Announces Our 2010 Investees Receiving Funds AND Partner Assistance

Goleta Valley Housing Committee (GVHC):  GVHC is a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide housing for low and moderate income families in south Santa Barbara County. They own Villa la Esperanza, a 74-unit low-income rental housing project in Goleta and will complete their thirty-year mortgage payments in 2011. GVHC was granted $15,000 to increase capacity and assist in evaluation of alternatives once initial mortgage payments are complete.   This project has great potential for significant collaboration, capacity building, protection and extension of low-income housing in Santa Barbara County, as well as potential for regional and possibly national scalability.  Jason Yardi and John Glanville are the Partner co-leads on this team.

Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara County (MHA):  MHA provides and manages low-income housing at three Santa Barbara locations (including workforce housing), and offers mental health programs for over 200 clients, of which 25% are homeless. Their mission is to improve the lives of adults living with mental illness, and their families, by providing (1) crucial services, education and support; (2) low income housing; and (3) rental deposit loans for those otherwise unable to transition into housing.  MHA was granted $25,000 for operations and Partner assistance in:

• Coordination/collaboration with other homeless and mental health organizations

• A business plan for leasing/monetizing its commercial space

• Debt restructuring

• Evaluation of purchase option for Canon Perdido low-income property

• Legal analysis and consultation

• Cost-benefit and impact analysis of vocational programs

• Billing government agencies

• Fund development, marketing, and branding

Tom Sloan and Laurie Ashton are the Partner co-leads on this team.  For more information, go to www.mhainsb.org

Channel Islands Young Men’s Christian Association, Youth and Family Services Branch (YFS):  YFS provides quality social services to at-risk youth and their families in the Santa Barbara area.  YFS was granted $25,000 for capacity building and creating a sustainable model for the prevention of homelessness of youth (18-24), at Artisan Court, the Santa Barbara Housing Authority’s new Transitional Age Youth Housing program. They would like SVPSB to help develop the strategic underpinnings for a more robust organization capable of sustaining both current services and the new Transitional-age Youth Housing program that will provide services to homeless youth age 18-22 in the community. Pam Strickfaden is the Partner lead on this team.  For more information, go to www.ciymca.org/youthandfamilyservices.