Despite growing financial strain locally and globally, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara has managed to take steps toward more affordable housing.

Rob Fredericks, HACSB Executive Director/CEO, said in a press release: “As we get to the other side of challenges, we are experiencing because of COVID-19, we can recognize some positive aspects. 

“The destructive impact of income inequality and disparities in health care and housing are now plainly visible. We have an opportunity to focus on the common good and build a more humane society. 

On the evening of January 28, more than 230 people attended the Women’s Fund's fourth virtual forum in its Grants in Action educational series. The forum focused on the topic of immigration and the work of the Santa Barbara County Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC). 
It was moderated by Mikki Andina, a member of the Women’s Fund Research Committee and a retired anthropologist and public health nurse. You can watch the video here.

History of immigration in the U.S.

Click on this link to listen to the KCSB interview with LuAnn Miller, Executive Director of Isla Visa Youth Projects, a 2015-16 grantee. She spoke with Lisa Osborn about how IVYP plans to use our $75,000 grant.

New suggested minimum and voting thresholds for 2019 membership

With growth comes many opportunities—more dollars to grant to local nonprofits, more women engaged as knowledgeable philanthropists. Growth also has its costs—namely in increased expenses to manage a larger organization. 

Effective January 1, 2019—​and for the first time in 15 years—we are increasing the suggested minimum contribution for Women’s Fund membership from $250 to $275 and raising the voting threshold from $2,500 to $2,750 (one vote per $2,750 contributed).  We are also introducing a more formal sponsorship program for our local businesses and our members.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A non-profit focused on helping mothers in need is hiring a bilingual coordinator in Santa Barbara.

Thanks to a grant of $80,000 from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara, Mothers' Helpers will be able to cover the salary and benefits of a part-time, bilingual coordinator for Mothers’ Helpers’ storefront support center.

From Women's Fund of Santa Barbara:

Baby essentials can easily total $2,500 in the first six months of an infant’s life.

These costs place a significant strain on low-income families.

Rebecca Barretto is a teen who visits the Santa Barbara police activities league every week.

“Basically, like my second home I’ve made a lot of friendships here and I’ve gained a lot of new skills and so many opportunities and just to be more involved with my community," said Barretto.

Barretto’s dream is to become an architect.

“Very excited ever since I was 5 years old I knew I wanted to be an architect. I used to rearrange my doll houses and I made my dad build me like a six story house for my dolls," said Barretto.

Now she’s collaborating with architect Jesiy Richards to help renovate the organization’s twelve35 Teen Center.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – It was a tragedy that changed a Santa Barbara woman’s  life forever. 

A traffic accident killed her fiance and landed her in the hospital.

It happened on August 9th 2016, when Leslie Salazar was a passenger in a car driving through the Santa Barbara Mesa. 

“I was in the car with my fiancée. The car was speeding. I jumped out of the vehicle," said Salazar.

20 minutes later, her fiancée who was driving under the influence crashed into a power pole, at more than 90 miles an hour killing all three people in the car.

An organization that Salazar was already involved with was there for her during this difficult time. 

The Unity Shoppe distributes food, clothing, and basic necessities to people impacted by temporary poverty, natural disasters, and health crises. At their center on Chapala Street they were seeing the the number of people seeking food rising, outstripping the capacity of the center’s freezers and refrigerators. With a $75,000 grant from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara, they purchased a new industrial refrigerator, four freezers, five dollies, six carts, and a six-month supply of eggs and frozen chicken. They expanded storage for perishable food by replacing failing equipment with new, energy-efficient appliances. The new industrial refrigerator holds supplies of perishables such as milk and eggs.