A Holiday Message from Habitat Ventura C.E.O, Darcy Taylor

Greetings Habitat Ventura Family,

I hope that this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. As we approach the end of a year filled with uncertainty and tragedy, my heart is filled with gratitude for our incredible network of supporters. In a year unlike any other, your generosity and dedication still changed so many local families’ lives and made our community more resilient.

Because of you, two more deserving families are celebrating the holidays for the first time in safe, beautiful homes that they own. Eighteen more people and families received no-cost, necessary home repairs so they can shelter in place safely and comfortably, no matter what comes. We met with state lawmakers to push for an ambitious package of housing legislation, and we will continue to push for policies that create more affordable housing so we can have an even bigger impact in our county and throughout the state.

Thanks to your support, we were also able to extend ourselves a bit to help the community at large -- when the COVID-19 pandemic left people out of work and food insecure, we donated our ReStore trucks and drivers to Local Love, picking up food and dropping it off at distribution centers so our neighbors didn’t have to go hungry. We donated PPE to local hospitals so healthcare workers could better serve patients. With the help of the Ventura County Community Foundation and its donors, we provided mortgage assistance and other resources to our partner families who needed it. When times are tough, Habitat Ventura County’s 72 homeowners and 170-plus home repair recipients know that they can turn to us for help -- and that’s all thanks to you.

Before the end of this year, we will break ground on five townhomes in Port Hueneme and five more hardworking families will start chipping away at their sweat equity hours. In 2021, those families will purchase the homes they helped build for an affordable mortgage and get to enjoy newfound financial stability, improved safety and wellbeing, and upward economic and social mobility. People like you know that the advantages of Habitat Ventura County’s homeownership program don’t stop once a family moves into their new home -- the benefits last through generations and change the face of communities.

I am so lucky to be able to lead an organization that still brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. In dark times like these, friends like you are the light. Your donations, your volunteerism and your voices are making sure families’ basic needs are met, that everyone has access to economic opportunity, that Ventura County is a wonderful place to live for all.

I hope you will remember that when things seem hopeless -- that you are making a difference.

On behalf of all of us at Habitat Ventura County, thank you so much for everything that you do. Here’s to a brighter 2021.

Sincerely,

Darcy Taylor

C.E.O., Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County