Representatives from the Rona Barrett Foundation have announced the start of an ambitious three-year, community-wide fundraising campaign to raise $3.5 million to complete the construction and furbishing of the Golden Inn & Village and provide seed money for essential programs and services to be delivered there for resident seniors and all seniors from the community.
The GIV will be the first senior housing project in Santa Barbara County and California to provide affordable, aging-in place senior care for the Santa Ynez Valley’s most vulnerable seniors.
It will be located at the heart of the community at the intersection of Refugio Road and Highway 246 across from the YMCA, Santa Ynez Valley High School, the Christian Academy and El Rancho Market.
Phase 1 of the GIV includes the building of 60 urgently needed affordable independent living units for low-income seniors, an adult community center and 27 affordable employee units for GIV employees and other indispensable community workers who serve local residents every day and qualify for housing assistance.
GIV’s Phase 1 will cost $33.5 million; $30 million will be financed through income streams generated by the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County, the foundation’s pace-setting project partner, and the additional $3.5 million to be raised from private contributions from the community by the Rona Barrett Foundation. The “Campaign for GIV” has raised $1.6 million to date with $1.9 million required to bring the campaign to its goal.
This pioneering private/public partnership between the Rona Barrett Foundation and the HACSB will generate an impressive return on the community’s charitable investment in the project ROI. For each dollar contributed to the “Campaign for the GIV,” $23 will come back to the Santa Ynez Valley in the form of local jobs, salaries and expenditures for equipment, transportation, supplies and services.
Furthermore, and most importantly, “With the critical need for affordable housing for economically disadvantaged seniors rapidly growing daily in our region, we are committed to raising the $3.5 million necessary to complete the GIV,” Rona Barrett said. “The foundation is fortunate to be able to call upon the dedicated efforts of key volunteer leaders who have a strong commitment to help meet the pressing needs of our most vulnerable seniors.”
The GIV cleared an important hurdle with the unanimous approval by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for a zoning changes and lot splits on the GIV site. This approval allows the HACSB to apply for federal and state tax credits to complete construction. Phase 2 of the GIV — the construction and staffing of the 60 unit Assisted Living and Memory Care Unit — will be come about at a later date.
— Kelly Kapaun is a publicist representing the Rona Barrett Foundation.