Good Samaritan Shelter serves at full capacity during COVID-19

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Maria never stops helping those in need throughout Santa Barbara County.

"We continue to serve our mission which is to help those that are homeless
and in recovery and help them stabilize and get back on their feet," said executive director Sylvia Barnard of Good Samaritan Shelter.

The facility in Santa Maria is operating at full capacity while following the CDC guidelines during COVID-19.

"Our staff are working very hard. You know we’ve had some positive cases
throughout our different programs. But we’ve managed to isolate those
situation," said CFO Hector Giron of the Good Samaritan Shelter.

Managers say they are currently seeing a growing
need with the individual population.

"But we are limited by the CDC guidelines in having some separation for
social distancing … but we continue to operate at the maximum level that we
can," said Barnard.

The shelter is not alone in its efforts to serve the community’s needs
during the pandemic.

Managers say they’re getting help from several partnerships and  agencies.

"We received a lot of support from all these different government entities
and private foundations as well ... to continue the operations ... so we’ve done a
pretty good job managing the situation," said Giron.

Managers say they have worked hard to improve the vaccination rates among
their clients.

"That has really shown in the positive cases … we have a lot of positive
cases that are not symptomatic … which is great. That’s really where we
want to be," said Barnard.

Even though Good Samaritan is currently at full capacity, managers say they
won’t turn anyone away, who needs their help.

In addition to providing shelter, Good Samaritan officers affordable housing, clean & sober living, and outreach and education within the local community.