Rob Fredericks, Secretary of 2nd Story Associates and Deputy Executive Director/CAO of HACB; Randy Weiss, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Union Bank; Skip Szymanski, President of 2nd Story Associates and Deputy Executive Directory/COO of HACSB. Courtesy photo
SANTA BARBARA — While the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) provides innovative housing and services in the community, its nonprofit affiliate, 2nd Story Associates, helps fill gaps to help local families succeed. Thanks to a generous donation from the local branch of Union Bank, the Housing Authority and 2nd Story Associates will host their third “Tools for School” event next month, providing approximately 300 school-age children with backpacks and supplies to help prepare them for success in the coming school year.
For each participating family, children ages five through 17 will choose from a range of age-appropriate backpacks filled with school supplies.
“Tools for School” is part of 2nd Story and the Housing Authority’s new Growth, Readiness and Development (GRAD) initiative which is aimed at encouraging academic success and high school graduation among low-income youth through a variety of collaborations and programming. While the event is designed to assist families in preparing their children for school, it will also help families discover the Housing Authority’s youth enrichment programs and other local programs and resources for youth and families.
The public is also invited to make donations to support the “Tools for School” campaign—which will help to fund educational materials and supplies, such as upgraded computers for Housing Authority’s after-school centers. Donations can be made securely online at http://www.2nd-story.org.
About 2nd Story Associates: Second Story Associates is a nonprofit corporation created in 2007 for the purpose of funding and developing affordable housing and related social services for the benefit of low-income families, seniors and disabled members of the Santa Barbara community, including clients of the City of Santa Barbara Housing Authority. More information at http://www.2nd-story.org.
About The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara: The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara is a local public agency created for the purpose of providing safe, decent, and quality affordable housing and supportive services to eligible persons with limited incomes, through a variety of federal, state, local and private resources. Since 1969, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara has developed and/or secured over 3,400 units of affordable rental housing for Santa Barbara through a variety of federal, state, local and private funding sources. Please visit the website at www.hacsb.org.