PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Contact: Deborah Brasket, SB CAN Executive Director, deborah@sbcan.org, 805-722-5094.
Santa Barbara
County Action Network Receives Grant Funding for a
“Sustainable Community and H.O.T. Advocacy” Program in Santa Maria
The Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN) has received a grant of $7, 737 from the Fund for
Santa Barbara to develop a Sustainable Community and H.O.T. (Housing/ Open Space/ Transportation) Advocacy program in Santa Maria.
This program will help residents become more involved in community planning by offering a series of bilingual workshops and forums on creating sustainable communities. Workshop topics will include information on renewable energy and green building practices, and planning policies that integrate the need for affordable and workforce housing, alternative and public transportation, and protecting open space and agricultural lands. The workshops will give community members the tools they need to provide input on land-use and planning decisions to ensure that future growth will match their vision for their community.
“SB CAN recognizes that there is a crisis in Santa Barbara County regarding the availability of affordable housing, the loss of open space and agricultural lands, and lack of funding for alternative transportation to ease traffic congestion on our streets and highways,” reports executive director, Deborah Brasket. “SB CAN advocates a holistic approach to community planning that integrates Housing, Open space, and Transportation, based on our widely-circulated ‘H.O.T. Principles,’ developed in 2006. Planning and implementation of land use policy can only be effective if all three issues are approached together, as interrelated.” These guidelines are posted at http://www.sbcan.org/hot-principles.
Joann Marmolejo, SB CAN president adds: “We are so fortunate to have a non-profit foundation like The Fund for Santa Barbara that supports grassroots organizations working for social, economic and environmental justice in Santa BarbaraCounty. The Fund’s motto ‘Change, not Charity’ recognizes the importance of involving community members in creating the changes needed to protect their quality of life and improve their communities.”
For more information, or to become involved in this effort, members of the public are urged to contact Deborah Brasket at 805-722-5094 or deborah@sbcan.org.
