Citibank provides $110K sponsorship to build veteran housing and provide financial literacy programs to low-income veterans and their families in Santa Clarita
Habitat for Humanity’s plans for 99 new “enriched” homes for low-income veterans in Southern California marched ahead smartly in March when Habitat for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys raised $210,000 at its annual Hearts for Heroes Builders Ball.
The new three-and-four bedroom homes will be built in northern Los Angeles County – 87 in Santa Clarita and 12 in Sylmar. During the 2013 Ball, Citibank in Southern California added an $110,000 through corporate grant and contribution sponsorships, that will be directed to the Santa Clarita Veterans Village development. Of that, $100,000 will help finance the construction of a house and $10,000 will support the “Building Self Sufficient Families” a financial education program focused on veterans. Buyers will contribute “sweat equity” to the construction of the homes. Financing will be available through a combination of home Loans from the California Department of Veterans Affairs and Habitat second loans.
The two “enriched” communities will be the “first of their kind,” in that they will offer the low-income vets and their families numerous connections to social services. Citibank will offer financial education classes in English and Spanish for adults and teens. Other services will include health education and health screenings, homework assistance for children, computer training, PTSD counseling and other veteran-specific services. Gustavo Bidart, Citi’s Regional Director of Community Development in Southern California said he and his colleagues were inspired to take part in this innovative effort because of stories like that of Habitat board member Bob Phillips, whose son is a veteran and grew up in Santa Clarita. Phillips said he loved the idea of helping veterans who may have served alongside his son.
“CalVet is very excited about this first-of-its-kind collaboration with Habitat for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys because it allows veterans to acquire a piece of the American Dream,” said CalVet Secretary Peter J. Gravett. “These planned veteran communities will not only bring veterans together, but will also offer them a neighborhood that promotes self sufficiency.”
Rashi Kallur, Citi Community Development Officer is the relationship manager of Habitat and she continues to engage the local Citibank branch managers Patty Wood, of Santa Clarita and Marisa Chavez, of Pacoima, to teach the veterans on Planning a Budget, Saving for the Future, Managing Credit, and Debt through the CredAbility program an Online financial education training for veterans.
Citi Community Development, the Citi Foundation and several local Citibank branches are long-time partners of Habitat’s San Fernando/Santa Clarita affiliate. They have provided several, quarter-house sponsorships for Habitat’s 61-home Pacoima development, participated in TEAMBuild days and taught financial education classes in such unlikely places as the garages of the homes they helped to build.