On Friday, LIIF closed a $1,050,000 Brighter Futures Fund (BFF) loan to CommUnify, a nonprofit child care operator in Santa Barbara County, California. CommUnify used the loan to acquire a child care facility from a church in Santa Maria, which it will renovate into a new center serving up to 70 children ages 0-5. Perhaps most significantly, CommUnify will own the ground its program stands on for the first time in its nearly 60 years of operation.
Founded in 1967, CommUnify currently operates 18 Head Start centers — but until now, has never owned a site outright. Many of its programs sit on month-to-month leases, and the agency has already lost five sites due to the transitory nature of these contracts. Ownership of this new center at 420 E. Fesler Street represents the achievement of a key strategic priority that gives CommUnify long-term stability to serve low-income families in North County.
The organization operates through a mix of Head Start and state-contracted programs (CCTR & CSPP), with a particular focus on addressing the region’s dire shortage of affordable and accessible infant and toddler care. Critically, CommUnify also provides specialized support for children and families with special needs, including mental and behavioral health services, and even parental education.