Goleta is about mid-stream in its quest to organize help for people who are homeless, having held several community meetings and surveyed its citizens, including about 50 individuals currently without a traditional home. Safety was a chief concern for all, both the homed and those without a home, with the lack of affordable housing coming in a close second. No place to put belongings was an issue among 81 percent of the homeless people who responded. When asked why they didn’t want to go to a shelter, about a quarter said being separated from their belongings was an issue, and more than half said they wanted their own space.
That corresponded roughly with the number of people living in their vehicle, 78 individuals according to the 2019 Point-in-Time count, in the universe of 119 homeless people who called Goleta home. An early look at the 2020 count, which isn’t yet entirely compiled, said senior project manager Claudia Dato, indicates the numbers have increased.
Dato and Dominique Samario, Goleta’s management analyst, are leading the city’s project to house the homeless. They presented possible solutions grouped into what is feasible over time and according to what meeting and survey participants ranked as most important. At the February 19 homelessness meeting, for instance, the 50 people in attendance thought the most important short-term goal would be a Showers of Blessings portable hygiene station in Goleta, more Safe Parking program overnight spaces, and a warming shelter over the next one to two years. Dato said about half the participants had either been homeless at one time themselves or had a family member who was.