2009-10 Grantees
Year-End Reports Summary
(06/25/2011)
The following five Santa Barbara agencies received Women's Fund grants in February 2010 from member donations made in 2009. This is a summary of the year-end reports describing how those grants were used through early 2011 - improving the lives of at least 1,500 local women, children and families.
Casa Esperanza Homeless Center
Program supported: Volunteer Program, Women's Wellness Program and Job Development Program
Amount of Women's Fund grant: $90,000
Results: Funding was received to establish a broad-based volunteer corps to assist the shelter in every aspect of its programming. Volunteer Coordinator John Bowlin led the recruitment and assisted in training and supervising 285 volunteers. 235 people were recruited to assist with cooking, clean-up and serving in the community kitchen. In the past, nearly 100% of kitchen volunteers emerged from the faith community. By the end of the grant period, 96 volunteers were recruited from service groups, businesses and colleges, thus ensuring greater diversity for both members and volunteers.
Casa Esperanza also received funding to support the Job Coaching staff and the Women's Wellness staff. 315 individuals received the benefit of job coaching and assistance and 192 individuals were placed in jobs. 260 women received information and/or support from the Women's Wellness Coordinator and a total of 145 women were placed in housing.
Thanks to these efforts, Casa Esperanza once again increased housing placements by nearly 10% - 417 housing placements from February 2010 to February 2011. Absent funding from the Women's Fund, the job development effort and women's specialized programming component could not have been sustained.
Catholic Charities
Program supported: Catholic Charities Metro - Community Services
Amount of Women's Fund grant: $85,000
Results: Funding was received to install a solar panel system for Catholic Charities' Food Pantry building that will eliminate approximately $5,500 in annual Southern California Edison (SCE) billing costs. Solar panels have been installed and produce a 22.45 Kw system. The final SCE contract was signed 2/2/11 and it is now possible to have consecutive billing cycles to measure the energy savings derived from this project. Cost savings are averaging approximately $505 per month; annualized that is $6,060 for the current year. Allowing for future given rate increases, Catholic Charities expects the annual figure to reflect additional savings.
The annual cost savings ($6,060) will provide the equivalent of $42,420 dollars worth of new food purchases at the Santa Barbara Foodbank, a figure which exceeds the original projection. This translates to providing weekly food distribution to 680 new families who would not have been served. Catholic Charities has yet to see any major shift in the demand for the Food Pantry; both new and returning clients continue to access services at the peak 2009-10 levels.
Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County
Program supported: South County Volunteer Program
Amount of Women's Fund grant: $75,000
Results: The Volunteer Coordinator has created a comprehensive plan to recruit and train volunteers. To date she has recruited at least 19 volunteers who are interested in making a long-term voluntary commitment to DVS. The coordinator has planned and is conducting a 40-hour training to satisfy state requirements for domestic violence awareness training for these volunteers. Training will run through the end of July 2011.
When the volunteers have completed their 40-hour training, they will be assigned to case managers at the shelter and Second Stage to train them in ways to assist with case management needs. Since January of 2010, DVS has served a total of 60 clients (27 women and 33 children) in the Santa Barbara Shelter, and 10 clients (4 women and 6 children) in Second Stage, the transitional housing program in Santa Barbara.
DVS is planning to hold another 40-hour training in the fall 2011. The goal is to reach those students that are seeking volunteer internships. The second goal is to film the entire 40-hour training so that DVS can get volunteers started as soon as possible rather than waiting for the next formal training session. DVS is hoping that this will decrease the delay in utilizing those volunteers that are ready to help.
Sarah House
Program supported: Sarah House operations
Amount of Women's Fund grant: $40,000
Results: During the grant period Sarah House has served 31 unique low-income and homeless residents and been at full occupancy in their 8-bedroom home. These individuals earned an average annual income of $7,769, less than half the qualifying amount to be considered "Extremely Low Income" according to the Santa Barbara Area Mean Income Scale. Sarah House services include a personalized, individual bedroom for all residents, filled with objects from their homes and past; 3 nutritious meals a day that cater to each resident's requests and dietary needs; transportation to and from medication appointments; and 24-hour residential care by Certified Nursing Assistants. Costs have increased substantially without rents and subsidies income also increasing, as most residents have little if any money to contribute to their care. Sarah House also has a very dedicated set of stable volunteers that serve meals on a regular basis, supplementing the limited dollars that Sarah House receives.
The Women's Fund grant was instrumental in sustaining Sarah House and its service to the most vulnerable in our community throughout one of the most difficult fiscal years in recent times.
St. Vincent's of Santa Barbara
Program supported: PATHS (Program of Affordable Transitional Housing & Services)
Amount of Women's Fund grant: $75,000
Results: Funding supported St. Vincent's PATHS which is a two-year residential program serving low-income single mothers and their children. Key elements of the program are affordable housing, case management, counseling, education, and Vincent's Heart, an onsite food and supply pantry. Residents pay a monthly program fee that covers a small portion of the cost for housing and services.
During the grant period, St. Vincent's PATHS Program served 32 single mothers and 43 children via the two-year transitional housing program designed to strengthen families. St. Vincent's continues to see the amazing success of the program through the success of their clients: 18 graduated from the program during the grant period and 100% succeeded in meeting the important goal of living in a stable home environment. 71% of the graduates have a job and 4% have enough money to live on while they continue with their education. One client who arrived at St. Vincent's with no job graduated with a job and now owns her own business. St. Vincent's says "we continue to be impressed and awed by the diligent work, courage and commitment of the women in the program who work so hard to overcome incredible odds and who are overcoming so many hurdles. They are bettering their lives for themselves and for their children."
The Women's Fund grant enabled St. Vincent's to expand case management services for women and children and to include research-based curriculum focusing on helping women learn new and healthy coping skills.