SB ACT opens new downtown navigation center in Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – What once was a dream in the making has now become a reality for SB ACT in Santa Barbara.
“Last month, it looked like a very empty office. Space," said program manager Eric Meyer of SB ACT.
“What we wanted to do is create a really warm welcoming space for our clients. I think we’ve done that.”
Dedicated to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Barbara, SB ACT is about to open a new navigation center for the community.
“Excited because we have turned into a center called the Faro Center stands for lighthouse in Spanish, but also fostering accessibility resilience and opportunity,” said executive director Richard Sander of SB ACT.
The daytime navigation center will offer services such as behavioral healthcare, medical care, workforce development, and other related resources.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing and you’ve lost your housing that you could just come here and it’s the one stop shop for anything that you need," said Sander. “From 10:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m., anyone from the streets can come here they can grab food they can meet with case managers if you work with a doctor they could get mental health.”
“We really want to be a one stop shop for people experiencing homelessness so they’ll be medical care. I’ll be social workers that can connect people to housing folks from the library that connect people to jobs," said Meyer.
The Women's Fund of Santa Barbara awarded SB ACT a $200,000 grant to help establish the new downtown navigation center.
“My hope is that we can provide resources to the community and get people house," said Sander.
Operating five days a week for four to six hours each day, the center will be managed by two dedicated full-time staff members.
Organizers of the center announced that there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center on Monday, June 24 at 4 p.m. at 621 Chapala Street in Downtown Santa Barbara.
The center will be staffed by formerly homeless individuals who have undergone training to serve as peer counselors, providing vital support to those in need.
For more information on how you can support SB ACT, visit: https://sbact.org/.
