Update on Our Campaign to Save Affordable Housing

Unfortunately, the Budget Conference Committee has voted to eliminate $1 billion in annual funding for affordable housing that assists California Habitat affiliates in procuring land for low-income homeownership housing. All is not lost.

Senator DeSaulnier has proposed an amendment that balances California’s budget and protects affordable housing as a core service. Now is the time to ask Governor Brown and your legislators to include this proposal in the final budget. Read our full proposal.

How can you help? Please contact Governor Brown and your legislators today.

Call Governor Brown's office (Here’s a script to help).
State Capitol office: 916.445.2841 -- if line is busy, try the following field offices
Los Angeles field office: 213.897.0322
San Francisco field office: 415.703.2218

Send a message to the Governor directly: Governor Brown’s contact page.

Call your legislators (Here’s a script to help).
Visit this website to look up your legislators.

Last, there is still time to sign our petition.

Thank you for helping save affordable housing in California!

Rally for Affordable Housing

Sharon Ellis, our Executive Director, is in in Sacramento to meet with Assembly member Diane Harkey and members of Senator Tom Harman's office to discuss Governor Brown's proposal to eliminate all Redevelopment Agencies in the State of California. While there, she participated in a rally put together by Housing California to oppose this proposal. If this proposal succeeds, our ability to build homes in Orange County will be severely impacted.

If you believe as we do that the funding for affordable housing provided by Redevelopment Agencies should be preserved, please act today.

Help us continue building in Orange County

Governor Brown has proposed eliminating all Redevelopment Agencies in the State of California. If this proposal succeeds, our ability to build homes in Orange County will be severely impacted. Since opening our doors in 1988, our ability to build homes in Orange County has been based upon our partnerships with Redevelopment Agencies. In fact, 96% of the homes we have built in Orange County have been based upon our partnership with Redevelopment Agencies. If you believe as we do that the funding for affordable housing provided by Redevelopment Agencies should be preserved, please act today.

Connecting Families to More Opportunities

Nineteen very excited families gathered at the Toshiba America Information Systems (TAIS) offices in Irvine this summer to receive brand new laptop computers, courtesy of the TAIS technology sponsorship with Habitat OC.

TAIS created this innovative technology sponsorship after they heard about the laptops that were stolen from Habitat’s San Juan Capistrano construction site during the summer of 2009. They immediately stepped forward to replace those computers, and since then have given laptops to many families purchasing new Habitat homes in Orange County, and some who have lived in their Habitat homes for some time.

TAIS and Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) are strong supporters of Habitat’s work in Orange County. In addition to providing laptops to families, TAIS and TABS are helping to build homes with their pledge of $250,000 as a Whole House Sponsor in San Juan Capistrano, and their volunteer service on the construction site.

Miguel Escobedo is happy that Toshiba is so involved with Habitat. "I'm starting Cal State Fullerton and a new computer will help me a lot with my homework," said Miguel as he received his new Toshiba laptop. Miguel, whose family purchased their Habitat home in Santa Ana in 2003, will be the first in his family to attend college. He plans to study engineering.

Thanks to Toshiba, the laptops are connecting the Escobedo family – and many others -- to some new educational and job opportunities.

The Luis House Neighborhood Project

We had the pleasure of meeting Luis Ortiz when his mother purchased their home from Habitat for Humanity Orange County in 2006. After Luis moved into his new home, he was inspired to raise money to help build more Habitat homes so that "other kids have a house like mine."

Luis started to raise funds by hosting garage sales, where he sold his outgrown toys. He then created a house-shaped bank and painted it. Everyday, he would add some coins to the bank and on December 16 of each year (the day he moved into his home) he would bring his proceeds to the Habitat for Humanity of Orange County office to help build another affordable home. Luis' dream established the Luis House Neighborhood project.

Furthering his dream, Luis Houses (a house-shaped bank) are available for purchase. Children can buy the house/bank material, build and decorate them. They can use any creative method they choose to collect funds and fill their house/bank with funds to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is partnering with Pretend City Children's Museum, a nonprofit educational organization, under the theme of "Constructing Kindness" to help raise money to build affordable homes for children and families, while also building the Pretend City community. Museum visitors will have an opportunity to purchase Luis Houses for a small donation as part of the Luis House Neighborhood project.

Children who purchase a Luis House will be invited to a special event held at Pretend City on December 14, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. At this event, children will bring the money they've collected and all proceeds will be split between Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and Pretend City Children's Museum.

To order your Luis House Bank or for more information on the event, please contact Aimee@habitatoc.org.

Alabama meets the Habitat OC AmeriCorps

Our 9 AmeriCorps members are currently attending the third annual National Service Leadership Conference in Talladega, Alabama. The Leadership conference convenes almost 500 AmeriCorps National and VISTA members serving with Habitat for Humanity in more than 150 communities across the United States. Members are participating in training, service reflections and networking activities to further develop their leadership, knowledge and connectedness, which will equip them to more powerfully affect the community of Orange County.

This year’s theme, "Building Through Service," highlights the tireless efforts of Habitat AmeriCorps members to help build and strengthens communities throughout the U.S. They are building hope, communities, homes, families, capacity, strong volunteers – through their service, the possibilities for building are as diverse as the needs Habitat strives to meet and the people we partner with. AmeriCorps members also receive as much as they give, and the training and experience they receive through Habitat OC and Habitat International are helping to build strong leaders and, in turn, build our future.

So what are the AmeriCorps doing…
Members are attending core classes on Capacity Building, Conflict Resolution, Disaster Response and Recovery, Leadership Compass, Member Relations / HR Opportunities and Poverty Housing.

There are also elective classes in Advocacy, Community Mapping, Green Building, Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, Social Media and a variety of Team Building exercises.

We can't wait to hear about their trip.

National Make a Difference Day

October 23, 2010 marked the 20th anniversary of National Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. Held annually the fourth Saturday of October, Make A Difference Day is an all-encompassing national day of service dedicated to helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.

To honor this day, Habitat OC welcomed almost 80 volunteers to the Fullerton construction site from Beckman Coulter. Broken up into two shifts, the volunteers joined three families from the San Juan Capistrano site and three families from the Fullerton site. The volunteers dug trenches, painted and cleaned up the site. It was truly a remarkable day.

I invite everyone to take action in their own community and volunteer. View video of the volunteers and families building together. http://bit.ly/9Wvats

We must become the change we want to see.
- Mahatma Gandhi

S.E.