New Transitional Housing for Foster Youth Moves Forward in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Lyons House is taking shape as Santa Barbara County’s first transitional housing program for youth aging out of foster care.

“Very excited you know we’ve been very intentional and bringing in clients slowly so that we got an opportunity to meet each one individually start working with them on their needs and goals," said chief operating officer Jennifer Heinen-Stiffler of YMCA.

Right now, more than 400 kids are in foster care throughout the county.

So the Channel Islands YMCA is stepping in to meet the urgent need for housing and support.

“You’re in Santa Barbara we have really highlighting costs and unfortunately that leads a lot of people to being homeless and a lot of younger individuals typically youth they shouldn’t have to deal with that. They should have a place where they feel safe in order to pursue their dreams and the Lions House that’s what we do. We want to support under privileged youth," said resident assistant Joshua Gomez of The Lyons House.

The program provides not only housing, but also life skills training, mentorship, and access to resources.

The YMCA team hopes to fill up this house with more residents.

The project was made possible in part by a major grant from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.

“Youth who are experiencing chronic homelessness really need a lot of support so we’ve been able to really take this time to work with our four residents to get them where they need to be so they can be independent," said operations director of youth and family services branch Amy Tovias of Channel Islands YMCA.

For many foster youth, the Lions House represents not just a place to live — but a chance at a brighter future.