Ever wonder what happened to the Chad’s Restaurant building on Chapala Street?The historic Victorian farmhouse, built in 1875, recently underwent a $1 million renovation, and is the new home of Jodi House Brain Injury Support Center, a Santa Barbara nonprofit providing long-term supportive services to adult brain injury survivors and their families.
Significant contributors to the landmark downtown project include Paragon Mortgage Group, Progressive Environmental Industries, Sherry & Associates Architects, CampbellFlower Design Studio, The Kitchen Company, Morgan & Teach Plank Co., and Montecito contractor Kadri & Associates, who donated $140,000 in construction services to the project.
The project included a 500 square foot addition to the main house, plus construction of a new, 1,000 square foot conference and activity building. Architecturally, the new building was designed to complement the elegant lines of the main house, and to resemble a large barn that might have been on the property 135 years ago.
Prior to moving to its new downtown home, Jodi House was located in a small, 1920’s cottage on Veronica Springs Road. “Our new home is almost three times larger than our old one. This enables us to serve more people, and create a larger, more vibrant program,” said Jodi House executive director, Kenneth Freeland.
In addition to serving a larger number of brain injury survivors and their families, Jodi House hopes to generate extra income by renting out its new building for conferences, meetings, and other events. “Our beautiful, new conference building is an ideal space for business meetings and retreats,” said Jodi House’s director of development, Erin Kozaki.
Jodi House’s program provides a community of support where survivors of acquired brain injury (e.g. from accidents, stroke, cancer, aneurysm) find friendship, advice, referrals, and activities to help combat and overcome the social isolation and stigma that often accompanies these injuries. Jodi House also provides respite and support to family members and caregivers of brain injury survivors. As a free, nonprofit program, Jodi House relies on donations and volunteers for continued operation.
For more information, call Cheryl Hermann, director of programs, at 805. 563.2882 extension 2, or email at cheryl@jodihouse.org
Visit the Jodi House website:
https://sites.google.com/site/jodihouse/home
(Photos courtesy of Kadri & Associates/Jim Bartsch Photographer)
