A SUPPORT NETWORK FOR SENIORS:
Helping seniors to stay connected & live independently at home
Santa Barbara Village enhances the lives of people aged 50 and better in south Santa Barbara County neighborhoods (in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and Goleta), providing a support network of services and social, educational, and cultural programs that enable them to live healthy and meaningful lives, as independently as possible -- in their homes (whether they own or rent), in the neighborhoods they love.
Santa Barbara Village is not a place; it is a nonprofit organization that serves as a support network and community for its members, providing VALUE, PEACE OF MIND, INDEPENDENCE, SAVINGS, and INTERACTION.
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?
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OUR MISSION:
Santa Barbara Village is a community-based membership organization focused on empowering older adults to live happily, healthfully, and successfully in their own homes as they age by providing a network of resources that addresses members’ living needs as well as their social, cultural, and educational interests.
LEARN MORE:
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Hear our Executive Director Naomi Kovacs talk about SB Village in a September 2012 interview on KZSB 1290 AM: CLICK HERE |
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Hear our Executive Director Naomi Kovacs & Governing Body Chair Patrick Corrigan talk about SB Village in a March 2012 interview on KDB 93.7 FM: CLICK HERE |
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Hear about SB Village from our Executive Director, Naomi Kovacs, in a September 2011 TV interview on "Just Between Us": CLICK HERE |
DON'T MISS OUT --> JOIN NOW!
Through volunteers, staff, and partnerships with proven providers, Santa Barbara Village offers
its members access to comprehensive quality services and assistance. These include
social, educational, and cultural activities; wellness opportunities; household
and home maintenance; transportation options; help with errands;
as well as medical care and assisted living at home, and more.
Santa Barbara Village is a nonprofit program for seniors who want to live safely and comfortably in their own homes. The Village enables a growing and diverse group of area residents to age at home with peace of mind for them and their families.
With one phone call or email message, Village members can gain access to professional and volunteer services, and all other membership benefits.
Live for Today, Plan for Tomorrow
Santa Barbara Village is not a building or housing development; it's an alternative to a retirement or assisted-living facility for seniors who wish to remain at home as long as possible. We call it a "virtual senior living community" because our members form a community through volunteering for one another, if they so choose, and through joining the Village as a member with access to shared activities and services.
Services and Solutions
Santa Barbara Village offers:
- Supportive services to meet practical daily needs
- Cultural, educational, and social activities
- Activities to stay fit and healthy
- Timely information to keep us connected and active in our community as we age in place
Some services are included free with membership; others are fee-based
with discounted rates for members. All approved vendors and service
providers go through a screening process performed by SB Village staff. All volunteers pass through a screening, including a background check, and orientation.
To see a list of the types of services offered, CLICK
HERE.
The National Village Movement
Currently, California has the largest older adult population in the country, and in Santa Barbara County it represents 15% of the population. A recent United Way study found that the number one desire of older adults in Santa Barbara is to be able to remain living in their homes and communities.
Santa Barbara Village is part of a national movement of Villages that have sprung up across the country over the last few years. While each Village is different, all are focused on providing a rich array of services and programs to help people, as they age, remain in their homes and in their communities.
This photo was taken at Beacon
Hill Village (the original Village) in Boston.
With the growth of the aging baby boomer population and the overextension of facilities and medical system, this model is a viable alternative.
The Village movement has become a stunning example of how community collaborations can help older Americans improve the quality of their lives, remain in their homes as they age, and save money in the process. And with the government facing enormous deficits for the foreseeable future, Villages also represent a welcome, cost-effective way for citizens to take responsibility for themselves during an era of declining public resources.
Right now, roughly 85 Village programs have been identified as being actively open and operating, according to Candace Baldwin, co-director of the Village to Village Network and a senior policy analyst at NCB Capital Impact. However, that is literally the tip of a large and growing movement. Baldwin says representatives from 600 communities have attended various Village meetings in the past year.
To some people, a Village might sound like nothing more than a modern-day replacement for close-knit family support. For most families, today's lifestyle is very different from years ago when relatives were viable options for support on an everyday basis. And even aging parents with nearby children and grandchildren often must seek broader support networks. With the increasing lifespan of our elders, we are also looking to provide support for the adult children of aging parents.
Dramatic increases in life spans have turned 10 to 15 year retirements into 25 to 30 year opportunities for people to reinvent their lives and develop new pursuits. However, without the proper support, these 'new lives' run the risk of becoming health-challenged, dreary days spent in isolation. Santa Barbara Village is the antidote to such a future for Santa Barbara seniors.
This cutting-edge Village membership program brings quality services to seniors in the comfort of their own homes while they enjoy the opportunities of a Santa Barbara lifestyle.
What People Are Saying
"I am nearing 80. I want to say in my beautiful home as long as I can. |
"I don't know what's going to happen in the coming years, how, exactly I'll be impacted, but I know I'm going to need help. The concept of Santa Barbara Village gives me hope for the future, and a feeling that we're all in this together." |
Rest assured; we do not rent, sell, or share our email list.
Click here to see our latest newsletter.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Click here to get to our Events Page
DONATE NOW
Donations are tax-deductible and can be designated to help support our general operations or our Scholarship Program for low-income seniors.
For general support donations:
For donations to the Naomi Schwartz Memorial Scholarship Fund for qualified low-income seniors:
For more information on various ways to support our work, CLICK HERE.
BECOME A MEMBER
CLICK HERE for more information & membership forms.
MEMBERS-ONLY SPECIALS
To find out about current members-only specials that are in addition to our usual member benefits, CLICK HERE.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are currently seeking Volunteer Drivers and other types of Volunteers to help our members. A little of your time can be a BIG help to someone! CLICK HERE to learn more.
Like Us on Facebook
We frequently post to our facebook page. Please click on the facebook button above and then click on the "like" button on our facebook page to stay in the loop!
Apply to Become a
Service Provider
If you are interested in being considered to be an approved service provider to SB Village members, please complete and return an application. Instructions are in the document. To get an application, EMAIL US or call (805) 729-8828.
Read Our Business Plan
Click here to download the plan in .PDF format.
(Download a free copy of Adobe Reader if you cannot open .PDF documents on your computer. It's easy! CLICK HERE.)
Grants Received
2011-2012
In 2011 we were granted $98,700 from the Archstone
Foundation to be spent over two years to support
our launch! This is in follow up to a 2010 grant from them to assist
with our start-up costs.
We received a $50,000 strategy grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation in 2011 to support our launch and first year of operations. This followed a $10,000 grant the previous year to help us craft our business plan. We also received a $5,000 express grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation in 2012 to do a complete update of our database system, to provide us a new infrastructure to simplify and expand data management, increase productivity, and grow our Village.
We received a $10,000 grant from the Gildea Foundation in 2011 to support our Scholarship Program for low-income qualified seniors.
We received a $7,500 grant from the United Way of Santa Barbara County, disbursed from late 2011 through early 2012, to support our launch and general operations.
Community Dividends®
In both 2011 & 2012, we received $2,500 from Montecito Bank & Trust's Community Dividends Program to support our Scholarship Program for low-income qualified seniors.
We received $2,000 in 2011 and $5,000 in 2012 from the Florence & Laurence Spungen Family Foundation to support our Scholarship Program for low-income qualified seniors.
In addition to these grants, the ongoing costs of the Village will be provided by a combination of membership fees, fundraising, and volunteer services.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara serves as the fiscal agent of Santa Barbara Village.
Santa Barbara Village, a registered business name (or "DBA") of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, works under the non-profit 501(c)3 status and Tax ID # of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.
Membership in Santa Barbara Village is non-denominational and open to all who are eligible.