June Habitat Happenings

Habitat Happenings | June 2026

🏡Building Bridges from El Salvador to Watsonville

Vanessa Albanez and Roberto Vasquez from Habitat for Humanity El Salvador visited the Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay’s administrative office to deepen connections with staff and share firsthand insight into El Salvador’s housing needs, disaster risks, and Habitat International’s growing impact.

The visit included an office tour, staff introductions, a presentation on their current projects and volunteer opportunities, lunch with local Habitat leaders and volunteers, and a tour of the Evan Circle project site in Freedom—highlighting how partnerships across borders help build strength, stability, and hope.

🏡 National Homeownership Month

June is National Homeownership Month 🏡, and in California the stakes could not be higher. With many residents not able to purchase a home until around age 49, and only 18% of Californians able to afford a median-priced home, the dream of homeownership is increasingly out of reach for too many families.

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay exists to help keep that dream alive. When we partner with families, we enter into a long-term relationship grounded in shared effort—families contribute sweat equity alongside volunteers, helping to build not only their own homes but also those of their neighbors. This collective work creates stable housing, stronger communities, and lasting hope.

We are honored to serve the Watsonville community through our work at Evan Circle, where we look forward to completing our first homes. At Habitat, we don’t just talk about building homes - we build them, one family and one community at a time.

🏡 Archbishop Mitty Volunteers Make a Difference at Evan Circle

We are grateful to the Archbishop Mitty High School volunteer group for spending a meaningful week serving at Evan Circle. Their hard work, energy, and commitment made a real difference for our Habitat community. Partnerships like this show the power of community service and remind us how much we can accomplish together.

Wescom Financial Hosts Homebuying Financial Resources Information Session

On Thursday, June 25, 2026, Wescom Financial, the Housing Authority for the County of Monterey, and Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay co-hosted the Homebuying Financial Resources Information Session at the Maria J. Torres-Gil Community Center in Salinas.

Wescom Credit Union presented a Debt Management class designed to support families pursuing affordable first-time homebuying opportunities. The presentation helped participants gain a clearer understanding of how to manage debt, strengthen credit, develop healthy financial habits, and establish a path toward long-term housing stability for themselves and their families.

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay also provided information about its homeownership program, the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Mortgage Assistance Program, and CalHome.

Strengthening Networks Through Ice Cream Socials

When networking becomes a sweet treat

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay was proud to connect with nonprofit partners at the annual Ice Cream Social, co-hosted with Nonprofit Connection Santa Cruz County. Together, we shared ideas, strengthened relationships, and began brainstorming the next collaborative project to create lasting impact in our community.

We were excited to connect with both the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and Community Foundation for Monterey County.

In the nonprofit world, connection is more than networking—it is how community impact grows.

Start the New Fiscal Year by Supporting Affordable Homeownership

As Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay begins FY 26-27, we invite you to make a monetary donation to help sustain the operating expenses that keep our mission moving forward: building decent, affordable homes and creating homeownership opportunities for qualified families in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Your support helps bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope–one family, one neighborhood, and one future at a time.

Whether you give $20, $50, or $100, every gift makes a meaningful difference by helping us cover the day-to-day costs that support our staff, volunteers, partner families, and local affordable housing work. Your generosity helps ensure that more families can build strength, stability, and self-reliance through a safe and affordable place to call home.

For those who can make a leadership gift of $10,000, $5,000, $1,000 or any other amount, your commitment can provide especially vital support as we begin this new fiscal year and continue building permanently affordable housing across the two counties we serve. If you would like to contribute $1,000 or more, please contact our office at (408) 461-9066 first so we can assist you personally and ensure your gift is processed with care.

Join us for a

"Dusty Boots" Tour of Evan Circle

We warmly invite you to join us on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM for an inspiring "Dusty Boots" tour of our latest housing project!

This event is not just a tour; it's an opportunity to delve into the heart of our mission at Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay. As we share the history and overview of this transformative project, you'll discover the various phases of development and learn about the meaningful volunteer opportunities and construction sponsorships available to you.

This is your chance to engage directly with the impact of your involvement and ask any questions you may have. Together, we can make a difference in our community, and we can't wait to see you there! Please RSVP and join us in supporting low-income families and promoting sustainable housing solutions. Let's build a brighter future together!