1. Your help is needed for the Point In Time Count of Homeless Individuals - Community Briefings January 9-12
   
2. SBCAN North County Roundtable meets 6 p.m. Thursday, January 12 in Santa Maria
   
3. SBCAN South County Roundtable meets noon Friday, January 13 in Santa Barbara
   
4. SBCAN Membership Appreciation Meeting Saturday, January 14 in Los Olivos
5. Submit your nominations for the 2017 North County "Looking Forward" Awards

   ---

1.  Your help is needed for the Point In Time Count of Homeless Individuals

Message from SBCAN Board Member Emily Allen:

Hi all, 

The Point In Time Count (Thursday, January 26) is an unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families across the United States. The count provides a snapshot of who is homeless on a given night. This information can be used to plan local homeless assistance systems and to raise public awareness of homelessness. In 4 hours you will be trained AND help count on the survey day. We are using a tool that is administered on a smart phone or tablet.

Learn more about who is experiencing homelessness and what you can do to have a positive impact.

Community Briefings will be held January 9-12: 

Santa Barbara
Monday, January 9 from 5:15–6:30 p.m.
County Administration Building, Board Hearing Rm, 4th Floor, 105 E Anapamu St 

Lompoc
Tuesday, January 10 from 5:15–6:30 p.m.
Trinity Churchof the Nazarene, 500 E North Ave

Santa Maria
Thursday, January 12 from 5:15–6:30 p.m.
Betteravia Government Center Board Conference Rm, 511 E Lakeside Parkway

SURVEY DAY
Thursday, January 26 from 5:15-9 p.m. 

Join us to make a difference in the lives of homeless men, women, and children throughout Santa Barbara County by taking part in the Point In Time Count! 

Click here for Volunteer Sign Up. 

2.  SBCAN North County Roundtable meets 6 p.m. Thursday, January 12 in Santa Maria
     Cornerstone Community Meeting Room, corner of Jones Street at 705 S. McClelland, Santa Maria

3.  SBCAN South County Roundtable meets noon Friday, January 13 in Santa Barbara
     Rabobank, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 33 Carrillo St. (corner of Anacapa Street), Santa Barbara

4.  SBCAN Membership Appreciation Meeting Saturday, January 14 in Los Olivos

We hope you will join us for our Membership Appreciation Meeting on Saturday, January 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Marks-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, 2901 Nojoqui Avenue, Los Olivos. Our guest speakers will be newly-elected supervisors Das Williams and Joan Hartmann. Refreshments will be provided. You don't have to be a member to attend.

Please click here to let us know you will be coming, or send us an email at [email protected].

---

5.  Submit your nominations for the 2017 North County "Looking Forward" Awards by January 22 and Mark Your Calendar for our award dinner Sunday, May 21 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria.

We will recognize five outstanding individuals or organizations from the North County during our annual dinner in Santa Maria. Send us your nominations.

Criteria for Awards

•  Open to individuals, local businesses and community organizations located or working in northern and central Santa Barbara County (Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and Guadalupe areas.)
•  Must have demonstrated commitment to social equity, diversity, social and economic justice, or environmental protection.

Award Categories

1.  Social Justice Award – For promoting fairness, tolerance, equality, respect and compassion for all people in our community.
2.  Environmental Protection and Sustainability Award – For valuing, protecting, and preserving our natural resources and environment.
3.  Giving Back to the Community Award – For giving back selflessly to the community through volunteer activities and community projects.
4.  Working Families Award - For helping working families to obtain affordable health care, housing, educational and job opportunities; or to improve wages, benefits, working conditions, and worker rights.
5.  “Looking Forward” Award – For strong leadership and vision in community building, civic engagement, and improving the quality of life in our community.

Download the Awards Criteria and Nomination Form here.

Now, more than ever before, given this new and challenging national political climate, is the time to nurture our strong local network of progressive folks to create bridges between environmental and social justice activism.

For fifteen years Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) has been the preeminent non-profit organization working on both sustainability and social justice issues throughout the county. We have many partner organizations, to be sure, but we always strive to be countywide and working on a wide range of progressive issues—especially looking for issues that might fall through the cracks otherwise.

On January 14, 2017 we will convene a Membership Meeting and I urge you to participate. Our newly elected county supervisors, Joan Hartmann and Das Williams, will be our guest speakers. We will discuss recent successes and challenges for 2017 (preview below). The meeting and social time will be a great chance to renew friendships and continue building the networks that support all of our issues. Mark your calendar for January 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Marks-in-the-Valley, 2901 Nojoqui Ave., Los Olivos.

With increasing competition for foundation support, we are all the more reliant on our members, major donors, and fundraisers. Therefore, we hope that you will make a membership donation that suits your budget and helps SBCAN continue its educational and advocacy role.

If you can, please consider becoming a major donor with a contribution of $500 or more and get special recognition at our annual membership meeting.

It is easy to contribute here.