It’s spring in Santa Barbara, following some eventful winter weather, and the traditional way City Hall marks this time of year is by celebrating Budget Season. This year promises to be challenging, as some very difficult choices will need to be made to balance our finances. Our local economy is based largely on hospitality and is truly “solar-powered,” meaning that inclement weather really affects nearly everyone’s revenues. Every department has been tasked with pitching in to make the numbers work, so we’ll see how we look when the dust settles, but staff have been remarkable in their efforts to make services continue uninterrupted. In any case, I remain very optimistic about a prosperous upcoming visitor season.
There has been solid progress on our efforts to address the issue of our unsheltered population. Senior Administrative Assistant Barbara Andersen is assigned to the coordination of outreach services, which have now engaged in extended service hours, and we are rolling out a property storage program. We are currently working on a “navigation center” to help get more folks off of the streets and directed to the appropriate services. Barbara is also running the team to address the escalating issues surrounding illegal street vending. Our Sustainability and Resilience Department leads our Encampment Response Team, and our Homeless Response Directory was created in partnership with SBACT. Along with our homeless service contractor CityNet we have created new and robust response mechanisms that help get immediate attention to those in need. Barbara is your best contact, available by email at BAndersen@santabarbaraca.gov , along with Elizabeth Stotts, Homeless Programs Analyst at EStotts@santabarbaraca.gov . Further information and phone numbers are available on our city website.
We have partnered with the county in a program called “Dignity Moves,” which is a downtown “bridge housing” project that I was highly cynical about … at first. Through excellent on-site management and constant vigilance, these 35 units have provided new hope and some successful transitions for folks who have otherwise been on the streets for an extended time. My initial skepticism turned out to be largely unfounded.