Supporters fight to save FARO Homeless Center in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Tensions ran high during public comment as residents pleaded with the City Council to reconsider its decision to cancel funding for the FARO Center — a one-stop shop for comprehensive services for Santa Barbara’s unhoused community.

“They helped me with the résumé. I got my first job… after a long, long time of caregiving. And I'm about to embark on that right now,” said FARO Center client Jacqueline Lee.

Lee said the center was a miracle after a series of unfortunate events that began with the death of her parents and ended with a lawyer she said financially scammed her.

The city partnered with SB ACT to open the center downtown on Chapala Street a year ago.

“You know, the FARO Center is not just a lighthouse to me — it’s a God thing,” said Johnny Watkins, a supporter and former client. “For me to be in a position to help many people who share the same thing I share in my past is a blessing to me.”

But since its opening, neighbors have complained about what they describe as “mismanagement,” referencing instances of public urination, yelling, and smoking outside the property.

“There is a line where the disturbances are so continuous, severe, unreasonable and dangerous that the interference with quiet enjoyment of your property becomes intolerable,” said Theodore J. Schneider, legal counsel for Jodi House.

Jodi House, a brain injury support center next door to the FARO Center, filed a written complaint to the mayor and City Council citing safety concerns.

Lindsey Black, executive director of Jodi House, said the FARO Center has deviated from its original mission to serve as a daytime workforce development and navigation center.

“The trust of FARO Center neighbors was eroded along the way when programming such as hot meals and a needle exchange program were added without our input or even a courtesy notice,” Black said.

SB ACT said that despite efforts to address those concerns, the city canceled funding for the FARO Center and terminated its sublease effective May 1.

City Administrator Kelly McAdoo has requested that SB ACT shift from a drop-in model to an appointment-only model.

“If the city shuts down the current way the FARO Center works — of being a drop-in — it's just going to push all these clients elsewhere on the streets of Santa Barbara,” said Hannah Rael with SB ACT. “Then there's no longer a place that they can go during the day and actually have a chance at accessing services, being able to get food. Where else are they going to go? They're just going to be back on the street.”

SB ACT is requesting a 120-day extension on both the funding and the sublease.