Santa Barbara County

Nestled in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, the site provides 35 private, dignified rooms for individuals experiencing homelessness. Each room has a bed, a desk and chair, heating and air conditioning, a window, and most importantly a door that locks. The site has been thoughtfully designed by Gensler to create a welcoming community, foster a sense of belonging and to fit with the local aesthetic of Santa Barbara, even down to the shape of the archway at the entrance and terra cotta-colored roofs. The community also includes case manager offices, extensive dining and community spaces, a computer lab, pet area, community gardens, and ample storage for residents’ belongings.

With over 27 years of experience, our supportive services partner, Good Samaritan, has an exceptional reputation for providing trauma informed care and tailored services to help address the root causes of homelessness through their experience and partnerships with other organizations. Their robust services for the residents include meals, case management, and health support. As of December 2022, of the 44 people served and housed thus far, 73% are now document ready for long-term housing, 11 people have found jobs, and 3 have moved to permanent housing.

The property, located next door to Morgan Stanley, is owned by the county and a low-incoming housing development is planned there in a few years. With such a central and visible location we decided on a new critical innovation to our model; the people living and sleeping in the immediate area were prioritized for housing, resulting in a dramatic positive improvement on the streets in the surrounding neighborhood. Locals are astonished by the dramatic decrease in homelessness in the neighborhood they noticed almost immediately. For many years there have always been about a dozen people sleeping on the steps outside of the nearby Santa Barbara Museum of Art—yet no one is there today.