Santa Barbara County is in the midst of a homelessness crisis. In January 2017, through the national Point in Time Count, we identified 1,489 people as homeless in all of Santa Barbara County. The City of Santa Barbara held 790 homeless people, 388 were located in the City of Santa Maria, and the remaining 311 were scattered in other cities and unincorporated areas throughout the county.
In late November, Santa Barbara County awarded 10 agencies $9 million through a one-time California Block Grant intended to address our immediate homelessness challenges. The bulk of this money was awarded to acquire, build, or renovate new housing. The allocation of these funds represents a real potential for dilution of impact because virtually no agency received anywhere near what they need to successfully implement their projects. Very little money was awarded for supportive services. Housing without adequate support will not bring meaningful change to our homelessness crisis and may well encourage public opposition to thoughtful change. If the statistics don’t change in 2021, the public will easily be swayed to the populist voice that says, “We gave them the money and, like always, they just went back to using drugs and alcohol and wanting a free handout.”
Humans are very good at denial. We all hear statements that most people are only one paycheck away from being homeless. None of us think we are going to lose our jobs. We all hear that people lose their homes due to medical bills, but we never think we are going to be that ill. We all hear that people lose their homes due to drug and alcohol addiction, and we say, “I am morally strong and will never succumb to either.” We all hear that people lose their housing as a result of divorce or bankruptcy, and we say, “But that’s not me.”