Santa Barbara City Council gets update on strategies addressing homelessness

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-While the Santa Barbara City Council Meeting received an update on strategies and initiatives addressing homelessness, City Net's Regional Program Supervisor Al Ortiz said his team was helping someone find a bed at the PATH interim housing program for the night.

PATH Regional Director Liz Adams said there are seven beds set aside for people experiencing homelessness each night and they are usually full.

There are also a handful of shelters that work together on any given night.

Adams told the county how they helped a domestic violence survivor with a child find temporary housing this week.

Santa Barbara's Senior Assistant to the City Administrator Barbara Andersen said there are a variety of strategies supported by the city.

"The City of Santa Barbara is benefiting from years of prioritization from Mayor and council to address homelessness," said Andersen," We have been able to deploy a diversity of strategies, from on the street to interim housing, to permanent housing solutions all to try to address what we know is an ongoing affordable housing crisis. People are falling out of housing as much a they are entering into homelessness and seeking services and we are trying to strike that balance of how to we help as many people who are coming in as the people who are already experiencing homelessness."

Even so, the numbers are up.

"Our number is up this year but for the first time in 3 years," said Andersen, " So, we have been able to maintain a relatives stable number but last year we had an increase of 200 people, 100 of those are people experiencing vehicular homelessness."

She communicated to council that the diversity of strategies at play allows the city to be effective despite the changing or increasing numbers tracked on any given year.

One council member asked if there were any trends

Ortiz considers an increase in seniors and families living in cars a trend.

He said about 800 people withing the city are experiencing homelessness, but he said the numbers can be deceiving depending on the situation and those accepting services.

He said the FARO's navigation center is on a three year lease backed by the city that helps people recover lost documents such as social security cards and licenses replaced that will help them apply for housing and services.

SB ACT's Landon Ranck said they would love to expand FARO's hours.

"Right now we need to improve the concept, we need to show the neighborhood we are going to be a good neighbor and that it is going be effective and be an effective use of the city's money," said Ranck.

People who work to help with the services offered at FARO, PATH, City Net, SB ACT, and other agencies and nonprofits are working together to bring the numbers down.

Ranck also wants people to know that October 10th is World Homeless Day.

"We will be having a series of media, videos, story shares a webinar and a table at First Thursday, so we encourage everyone to check it out," said Ranck.

He also said some people use the term unhoused.

"No matter how you say it use people first language, people experiencing homelessness is fine," said Ranck.

For more information visit https://SBACT.org/whd