Habitat Santa Barbara to Receive $1M for New Program Funding

Organization seeks new program applicants for low-income owner-occupied mobile home repair or replacement

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County (Habitat Santa Barbara) is excited to announce a grant award of $1M in program funds from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to support its Critical Home Repair program.

The grant, which was awarded as part of a competitive process, will enable Habitat Santa Barbara to repair and in some cases replace local mobile homes in need of critical health and safety repairs; while this new program funding is restricted to mobile home repairs, the existing Critical Home Repair program will continue to operate with funds from community and private donations. The organization is encouraging more community members to apply for the mobile home repair program if they live in Santa Barbara’s south county (defined as Gaviota to Carpinteria).

“Habitat Santa Barbara operates a low-income owner-occupied repair program across Santa Barbara’s south county year-round; this new type of funding will allow us to repair more mobile homes specifically, and will allow us to grow our mission by offering whole home replacements to eligible households,” said Habitat Santa Barbara CEO Jessica Wishan de L’Arbre. “Last December, the organization celebrated its impact of repairing or improving more than 200 homes here in southern Santa Barbara County,” she continued. “We were able to show that we have the operational and institutional knowledge to expand our program.”

The Manufactured Housing Opportunity & Revitalization Program (MORE) is a new program that recognizes mobile homes as a source of naturally affordable housing—or housing that is not deed-restricted but can become affordable over time. Despite the importance of this housing type, mobile homes often need numerous repairs to keep them safe and habitable, which can be costly especially for low-income households.

“Mobile home parks are a critical resource for providing low-income Californians the security of homeownership, but a lack of economic resources too often allows mobile homes and park infrastructure to fall into disrepair, sometimes subjecting residents to dire conditions,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “This model program will allow for infrastructure and home improvements that extend the life of these much-needed affordable properties and improve quality of life for those who reside in them.”

Using funds from the MORE program, Habitat Santa Barbara will make needed health and safety repairs at no cost to the qualifying low-income household; in some cases, they may even be able to replace an entire mobile home in need of significant repairs. For more information on the program, including how to apply, visit sbhabitat.org/programs/home-repair.