Families met with college representatives, college counselors and community agencies at “El Proximo Paso” or “The Next Step” bilingual college fair organized by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Teen Night program. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — The young members of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Teen Night program recently hosted an innovative event to address what they had identified as the most pressing challenge for Santa Barbara teens – information and support to access higher education. The group applied for a grant through The Fund for Santa Barbara’s Youth Making Change project, and was awarded funds to help sponsor a bi-lingual college fair. The Teen Night group, in coordination with the Housing Authority and its affiliate non-profit, 2nd Story Associates, hosted “El Proximo Paso” or “The Next Step” event, providing Spanish-speaking families access to college representatives, college counseling, and a wealth of information on higher education.
Teens in the 20-person Teen Night group, outreached to universities, colleges, and community members and organizations to participate and help sponsor the fair. More than 150 attendees met with representatives from several colleges and community organizations including SBCC; UCSB; UCSB EAOP Office, Hemanos/Hermanas Unidas, and Phi Sigma Pi Honors fraternity; UC Irvine; Santa Barbara Police Academy; Westmont College; SBCC Express to Success, Dual Enrollment, ESL and Enrollment Services, and SBCC Promise; Santa Barbara Business College; Youth Making Change; Cal Soap; COX Cable; Scholarship Fund for Santa Barbara; Pathways Program; DACA; Dream Scholars/Undocumented Student Services; and Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara. Community agencies and members were on hand to provide information to help simplify the application process, applying for financial aid, and answer questions.
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