Make the most of your charitable giving this holiday season and end the year by giving back to one or several of your favorite local nonprofits. Join Noozhawk this #GivingTuesday and give a gift that keeps on giving!
Noozhawk is teaming up with local nonprofits to encourage you to take part in the international day of giving, which takes place on November 30th, 2021.
It is no secret that this past year and a half has been full of challenges. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, local nonprofits need your support now more than ever.
Our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section provides all the resources you need to donate this holiday season, including a full Giving Guide with a list of local nonprofits who need your help this Giving Tuesday.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Loretta Johnson, Executive Director at Villa Majella of Santa Barbara, to learn more about how the nonprofit is dedicated to supporting women 18 and over in their decision to carry their babies to term under difficult situations.
Villa Majella of Santa Barbara
Question: What is the name & mission of your nonprofit?
Answer: Since our doors opened in 1982, Villa Majella of Santa Barbara has supported hundreds of women 18 and over in their decision to carry their babies to term under difficult situations, whether they choose to personally parent or lovingly select an adoptive home.
Q: How long has your nonprofit been in service and whom was it started by?
A: Villa Majella has been in service for 39 years. The founding board of directors included Mary Craig, Peter A. Da Ros, Barbara Die Bold, Teresa Grant Kimbell, Mary Klink, Colleen Kirst, Frances Morehart, Mercedes Roux, Linda Saucedo, Alex Saucedo, Miles Sharkey, and Mary Turtle.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your greatest needs?
A: Villa Majella is primarily funded by the dedicated support of local foundations, the generosity of individuals and families, and the commitment of monthly pledge donors. Resident program fees and contributions from businesses and community organizations also make our work possible.
Villa Majella operates 365 days a year. Our home hosts between 4 and 8 mothers and infants on any given day. Like all maternity homes, we provide 24 hour staff support which increases our overall operating costs. At Villa Majella we know that staff support is invaluable.
Medical literature demonstrates that a lack of social support during pregnancy is associated with adverse health outcomes. Our broadest goal is to help pregnant women create and participate in healthy social support networks during pregnancy and delivery. We facilitate client enrollment in a variety of key social support services and provide a supportive community living environment. Doing so, we help prevent adverse health outcomes for both mother and child.
Villa Majella’s most pressing needs include salary support to ensure that staff are available to implement the personalized programming created for each resident, and to meet the day-to-day health, safety, physical and emotional needs of residents 24 hours a day. All of the women we serve are experiencing socially complex pregnancies. Most of the women we serve have cut ties with prior social networks because of various forms of abuse and dysfunction. Our staff accompany women through the day-to-day physical and emotional changes involved in pregnancy. They provide emotional support and respond to women’s immediate needs and questions. They transport women to medical appointments, to the hospital in case of emergency situations, and to the hospital for delivery (often in the middle of the night!). Our staff team supports our residents by sharing information and resources that encourage healthy habits.
During their time at Villa Majella, through the support and care provided by staff, pregnant women stabilize their lives, make healthy decisions, and develop vital parenting skills. Aided and accompanied by our staff, residents get connected to the medical and mental health resources that support them during pregnancy, and as they grow toward healthy independent living and self-sufficient parenting.
Q: In what ways does your nonprofit utilize it’s funding?
A: Funding ensures that our doors remain open so that pregnant women in crisis situations are supported according to their individual needs. Villa Majella provides essential services – which starts with having a stable home – for all the women who come through our doors. Many of these women have experienced homelessness or are fleeing domestic violence or sex trafficking situations. We are the only organization in the county that provides full wraparound services and resources for in-crisis mothers-to-be and we aim to set each woman up for long term success.
Villa Majella manages a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residential home located in the suburbs of Santa Barbara, which provides temporary housing for women during the duration of their pregnancies and up to six months after their babies are born. The facility can house up to eight pregnant women at once, although capacity depends on how many infants are in the house at any given time, and more recently, COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Foundations provide 85% of the total cost of residential and program staffing. Pledge Donors provide 91% of the total cost of weekly counseling services and hot family meals. Residents and Alumnae provide 80% of the total cost of home utilities.
Q: How do people get involved/volunteer for your nonprofit?
A: Pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum needs are unique to each woman. There are many ways to contribute! To care for our infants, supporters donate diapers, wipes, baby wash, baby shampoo and baby thermometers. They also volunteer to babysit. To care for our mothers, volunteers create labor and delivery hospital care kits, decorate a mother’s door on her delivery day, and participate in a mother’s labor light community in the weeks prior to delivery as a form of support and encouragement. To care for our whole community, volunteers provide hot nutrient rich family meals or snacks, teach classes, and get involved in event planning. Volunteers also lead our organization by serving as members of the board of directors. To get involved, fill out the volunteer application on our website.
Q: What makes your nonprofit different from others?
A: Villa Majella has supported over 600 pregnant women experiencing socially complex pregnancies by offering a safe home, weekly meals, counseling services, pregnancy care, parenting classes, education, guidance and support. Villa Majella also provides access to outpatient drug programs, the SPARC program at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), life skills classes, AA and other 12 step programs, and services as our residents repair connections with family and friends and plan their futures.
Over the past year Villa Majella received between 7 and 15 inquiries per month from women who are pregnant and in search of housing, support services, and/or pregnancy information and resources. Women are referred to Villa Majella by social workers, homeless shelters, counseling and rehabilitation centers, faith-based institutions, and even individual community members. Many clients are referred from within Santa Barbara County, while others are referred from elsewhere in California or out of state.
No matter the specific circumstances of their arrival at Villa Majella, each pregnant woman receives the safe shelter, individual care, material items, counseling and individualized program support that is needed to get their life back on track. The women we support made the decision to have a child before they arrived at our door. We support each woman to make sure that their pregnancies are healthy and that their lives can move in the direction that they want them to. We provide a safe and healthy place for these women to grow into motherhood with grace and dignity.
Q: What is one best kept secret or fun fact about your nonprofit that not everyone knows?
A: Each year Villa Majella serves 26 women and their infants, provides 2638 total nights of safe shelter and 236 warm nutritious meals. We provide every woman with information and access to over 25 community programs and services.
Q: Can you share one or two stories of individuals whose lives have been changed because of your organization?
A: Kari moved into Villa Majella during her second trimester and delivered her son Oliver in 2018. After completing our program Kari moved into stable housing with supportive family. Just a few months ago, Kari and Oliver’s dad celebrated their wedding and Kari reached out to us to share what her time at Villa Majella meant to her: “This maternity home was my saving grace! On the day I moved in, I had nothing for my child and was scared about how I would measure up as a mom. Villa Majella connected me with resources in the community… introduced me to an incredible counselor who made me feel understood and helped me rebuild my self esteem. Villa Majella addressed my fears by helping me rebuild my spiritual foundation and providing parenting classes. Thanks to Villa Majella, I am moving forward and I can proudly say that I am a great mama today!”
Amy gave birth to her daughter Stella while living at Villa Majella. During her stay, Villa Majella introduced Amy to City College’s Single Parents Arriving Ready for College program. Amy participated in SPARC and went on to complete an associates degree in Economics and a second in Science & Mathematics. She then went on to UCSB where she plans to complete her bachelors degree in accounting in 2022. Amy reached out to share how life is going for her and her daughter: “Stella is healthy, full of life, and has the best sense of humor! Her favorite thing to do after school is snuggle, and I look forward to it every day. We have a happy, safe, stable home full of love. I am so thankful for this second chance in my life. The sanctuary that Villa Majella gave me made all of this possible.”
Q: Can you tell us one short-term goal AND one long-term goal that your nonprofit has for the next year?
A: In the next three months we aim to complete critical modifications to our service site in order to ensure that COVID-19 health and safety recommendations are implemented over the long term–especially as we begin increasing the number of residents, service providers, volunteers, and staff who are physically present at our service site at one time. A long term goal we are working towards accomplishing is to begin providing material support to meet ongoing basic needs of our alumni mothers and their children. We also have a number of alumni moms who want to give back. We are currently working to develop and implement new ways of connecting these families to one another.
Click here to support Villa Majella of Santa Barbara’s mission to equip and empower pregnant women.