Funding
Geographic and Population Characteristics
Demonstration of Need: Income & Poverty
Housing
Target Market
Penetration of Target Market Funding
WEV is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization funded primarily through individual contributions and program fees. Additional funding comes from foundation and corporate grants. Donations are encouraged and appreciated.
Top of Page Geographic and Population Characteristics of Current Service Area
Commonly misperceived as part of the greater Los Angeles area, Santa Barbara County is located 100 miles north of Los Angeles and is situated between Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties on a 200 mile stretch of coastline referred to as the Central Coast. Santa Barbara County encompasses 2,737 square miles. The county consists of a diverse blend of urban, suburban and rural areas and is populated by 399,347 people. 88% of the total population lives in an urbanized area. The north and south portions of the county are separated by the Santa Ynez mountain range. Top of Page Demonstration of Need: Income and Poverty
Although the casual observer might regard Santa Barbara as an affluent enclave where everyone drives a Mercedes and lives off a trust fund, the reality is much different. Certainly there is a substantial amount of wealth in the community, and, thankfully, much of it is used to support philanthropic causes. But Santa Barbara is also home to the very poor - the people who work in the fields, hotels, day care centers, restaurants, grocery stores, retail outlets and gas stations. According to U.S. Census data, 14.6% of Santa Barbara County residents live in poverty - a rate that is higher than both neighboring counties. (Ventura County- 10.3%, San Luis Obispo County -12.9%). According to county data , 41% of children in the public school system lived in poverty in 1997. In the Santa Barbara City School District, 54% of children are living in poverty. In the North County city of Guadalupe where 88% of the population is Latino, 100% of the public school children are living beneath the poverty line and 22% of the population lives below the poverty line. Poverty is especially acute in female-headed families with 25% living in poverty. Poverty in Latino households is only slightly lower at 24%. 57% of all Santa Barbara County employment is clustered in agriculture, retail and service sectors. The average annual salaries in those sectors are $18,600, $18,773 and $32,202, respectively. In 2001, the median family income in the State of California was $55,200 and in Santa Barbara County it was $53,500. Top of Page Housing
While incomes are lower than average, housing prices are higher than average. Santa Barbara County is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. The countywide median home price is $356,670, however in South County, the median home price has risen to $572,000. According to the California Association of Realtors, only 19% of Santa Barbara County residents can afford to buy a home at the median price. A tight rental market exacerbates the housing crunch. The average vacancy rate for Santa Barbara County rental housing during the past year was 2.2%. The average apartment rental in South County was $1,209 in 2001 and much lower in North County -- $685. A rental survey conducted in March 2001 by the UCSB Economic Forecast Project indicated that in South County, 2-bedroom apartments were renting for an average of $1,545 and houses were renting for an average of $2,521. Because of natural geographic constraints as well as local growth ordinances, construction of new housing is not expected to fill the need. The high housing cost and low wages leads to significant overcrowding and an inability for working class and even middle-class residents to accumulate assets. Top of Page Target Market
Women's Economic Ventures serves primarily low-income women and, increasingly, Latinos (both men and women). As stated above, poverty is most acute among these two groups - 25% and 24% respectively. During the past year WEV has begun to offer all services in Spanish. In January, 2001, WEV collaborated with the SBDC to provide a Self-Employment Training Program in Guadalupe which was attended by 22 participants. Guadalupe is the poorest city in the County with a 22% poverty rate. Approximately 34% of the total Santa Barbara County and Ventura County population consists of Latinos and over 50% of the children in the Santa Barbara Public School System are Latino. 55% of the total Santa Barbara County welfare caseload consists of Latino families. Thirty-four per cent of Latino adults over the age of 25 have less than a ninth grade education. An additional 20% have less than a high school diploma. According to census data, 76% of Santa Barbara's Latino population, age five and over, speaks Spanish at home. These data indicate the need for specially designed programs which target the language and educational abilities of this group. Santa Barbara County is an area of burgeoning entrepreneurial activity. Because of the high cost of living, many people start small businesses in order to supplement family income. Women, limited by the glass ceiling or unable to find well-paying jobs in an economy that lacks diversity, decide to start their own businesses as a solution to underemployment. 1) 75% of all businesses in the area have fewer than ten employees.
2) Business attraction from other areas is largely unsuccessful because of the high cost of living and the lack of commercial space
3) People with roots in the community are most motivated to start and grow a business that will enable them to remain in the area
4) self-employment offers vastly more earning potential, particularly for women and minorities, than jobs in the tourism and retail sectors. In Santa Barbara County there are 11,145 woman-owned businesses (35% of all businesses) and 3,147 Latino-owned businesses (10%). Only 10% of woman-owned businesses and 18% of Latino-owned businesses have employees in contrast to 33% of all businesses. In Ventura County, there are an additional 18,047 woman-owned businesses (11% have employees) and 5,137 Latino-owned businesses (17% have employees). These numbers could indicate that women and minority-owned businesses lack access to the capital and technical assistance needed to expand their businesses. Both women and Hispanic-owned businesses are growing at a faster rate than overall business growth. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, between 1987 and 1992, Hispanic-owned firms grew by 83% and firms owned by Hispanic women grew by 114%. During the same period, receipts grew 295% from $24.7 billion to nearly $72.8 billion. Two-thirds of all new businesses are being started by women. Between 1991 and 1994, employment in larger, women-owned firms grew by 32.5% compared to 11.6% in all women-owned firms and 5.3% in national employment. In 1996, women-owned businesses were responsible for $2.3 trillion in sales, an increase of 183% over the previous nine years. Top of Page Penetration of Target Market
WEV has reached its target markets primarily by building relationships with community members and organizations which serve the poor, by locating our services in facilities which are frequented by our target groups, by conducting market research, and by involving numerous community members in all aspects of our operations. It has been WEV's experience both with women and with the Latino population, services that are close to home are more likely to be utilized.
• WEV promotes its programs through other community organizations such as: Community Action Commission, Transitional Shelters, Catholic Charities, continuing education programs, childcare training providers, SBDCs, County Social Services, low-income housing providers such as People's Self-Help Housing and the Santa Barbara Housing Authority, Chambers of Commerce, and community centers.
• WEV staff and Board members are active in other community organizations and Boards
• WEV offers high-quality programs, consequently we receive a tremendous amount of referrals through word-of-mouth.
• WEV's Santa Barbara office is located in a neighborhood center which also houses a County medical clinic, youth and senior services and is very accessible to our target group.
• WEV's Santa Maria office is located in the Department of Social Services' one-stop Work Resource Center
• WEV has five bi-lingual (Spanish/English) staff members. All services are available in Spanish as well as English.
• WEV often provides training programs at other neighborhood locations. In addition to its regular programs at the Franklin Neighborhood Center and the Work Resource Center, it has provided on-site training at the Santa Maria Community Action Commission, the Guadalupe Chamber of Commerce, St. Vincent's School, Franklin Elementary School, the Santa Barbara Housing Authority, the Ladera Street and Dahlia Court low-income rental housing projects, the Good Samaritan Shelter and the Women's Honor Farm (County Jail).
• WEV uses publicity effectively: we have developed a mailing list of over 4,000 people and send program announcements prior to the start of each program. We advertise each class in the classified advertising section of our local newspapers under the "help wanted heading." We have purchased radio and television advertising on English and Spanish stations, and also use press releases and public service announcements. WEV has been the subject of many prominent features and editorials in our local newspapers and on radio and TV.
• WEV staff have met with loan officers from local banks to explain the microloan program and request referrals
• WEV staff have personally visited retail businesses in the Hispanic community, going door-to-door and distributing program information in Spanish and English
• Staff members regularly attend Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and other business support organization meetings
• Staff members do a significant amount of public speaking for community organizations and schools including: Rotary Clubs, Commissions for Women, Adult Education, SBCC, UCSB and Westmont College entrepreneur classes, Chambers of Commerce and countless business and professional associations
• WEV sponsors semi-annual luncheons and an annual event which attract over 500 participants who learn more about business issues and WEV's services
• WEV has a pool of over 160 volunteers. These experienced professionals share their expertise inside the classroom and out as guest speakers, business plan reviewers and informal mentors. They also support and promote the organization in the community.
• WEV has a large, diverse, working Board of Directors consisting of 21 members who participate in planning, policy-making, fundraising, program evaluation and promotion
• WEV built its loan fund by bringing together a consortium of nine local and regional banks that leveraged CDBG funds to create a loan fund of over $500,000. Each bank has a seat on the loan review and advisory committees and refers borrowers.
• WEV has a cooperative agreement with the South Central Coast SBDC wherein the SBDC staff provides business counseling at WEV's office at no staff cost to us and WEV staff provide TA to Spanish-speaking SBDC clients on a reimbursement basis
• WEV has built a donor base of over 1000 individuals, corporations and foundations.
• WEV conducted a capital needs assessment survey in 2000 which was sent to 2,500 woman-owned businesses in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties to explore the need for capital and training
• WEV conducted a program needs survey in 2000 which was sent to 500 local CBOs and schools to assess the economic development needs of their clients and to explore opportunities for collaboration  
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