Victor Maccharoli- County Supervisor Doreen Farr gives an update of the Ten-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Wednesday at the Transition House.
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Foundation built for homelessness plan
Two years deep into a decade-long effort to tackle the difficult issue of chronic homelessness in Santa Barbara County, organizers said they have built a strong foundation that will prove critical in providing services to those who find themselves perpetually forced to live on the streets.
Those involved in the coordinated effort known as Bringing Our Community Home outlined a series of successes during the initial stages, in addition to noting the long and complicated path forward.
“We’re not to the point yet where I feel like we really have a handle on things,” acknowledged John Buttny, interim executive director of the program.
However, he is encouraged by progress made in the last two years, including the formation of a homeless services guide and a safety program for homeless women, as well as headway being made on discharge planning for homeless inmates at the county jail.
After a lengthy series of meetings to formulate the local 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, organizers brought together information on the 75-plus agencies and service providers that offer homelessness resources throughout the county.
A “homeless services locator” is now available at www.bringsbcohome.org, featuring basic information about each agency including key contact information and a brief description of the services they provide.
“That, we hope, will be used by caseworkers,” Buttny said.
A resource guide has also been compiled for organizations on the South Coast that offer eviction prevention services — approximately 30 separate groups.
The safety program for women, which is essentially a coalition of homeless shelters and law enforcement agencies, is designed to provide shelter to any women who find themselves on the streets at night, in addition to providing contacts for outreach teams and case workers to help transition those women into housing.
Several hundred people have already been provided with permanent supportive housing, and 217 housing units for the chronically homeless have been built or are in the planning pipeline.
“It is certainly a big step in a long journey,” said Santa Barbara City Councilmember Helene Schneider.
The numbers connected with that “journey” are staggering. Of the 6,000 to 6,200 homeless people in the county each year, an estimated 1,000 are considered chronically homeless — those who cycle in and out of the homeless services system and often struggle with poverty, substance abuse, poor health and mental illness.
The stated goal of the organization is to house 1,200 chronically homeless people by the end of the decade-long program, in addition to providing outreach to 3,600, offering employment assistance to 600 and giving benefits to 1,200 people.
It’s a lofty goal, to be sure, and Buttny said he has accepted the fact that the homeless problem won’t be solved in 10 years. But if the group can reduce the chronically homeless population to 100 or fewer, he will consider the effort a success.
For now, his next pursuit is to improve discharge planning services at the jail, particularly to address late-night releases that have prompted some homeless people to attempt to complete a dangerous walk back to Santa Barbara along Calle Real in the middle of the night.
“We’re trying to work out a transportation system for that,” Buttny said.
County Deputy Chief Geoff Banks, with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, said 10 percent of the jail population is homeless and discharge issues clearly have been a problem for years.
“I served four years at the jail and it was constantly a serious problem we had,” he said.
Under a new contract for mental health services at the jail just approved this week, the jail will have a fulltime discharge planner for the entire inmate population, he said.
Bringing Our Community Home has also secured funding for a half-time discharge planner specifically for homeless inmates, designed to help them connect with caseworkers and find a place to go other than the streets after being released.
“This is the most optimistic I’ve been in 31 years [with the sheriff’s department] about truly seeing a change,” Banks said.
Another major effort that will be undertaken in the coming years involves creating a system to track data on those placed into supportive housing.
There is currently no uniform data system in the county that will allow organizers to confirm that money is being saved by placing homeless people into housing.
“If you can prove with numbers that it works, then you can get the business community and the general population to say, OK, I can get on board with this,” Schneider said.
Comment on this article
Helping or Enabling? : 6/18/2009
"Several hundred people have already been provided with permanent supportive housing". But there seems to be many more homeless now than there were only two years ago. Are we really fixing the problem or simply enabling people to live here (many with drug/alcohol problems) without working?
Open House...! : 6/18/2009
Hey all you homeless from Ohio, New Jersey and the other less desirable locations in the U.S ; Come to Santa Barbara and be taken care of...! We will provide you with great meals (Casa Esparanza) aka House of Hope, and a list to get City provided housing at no cost to you! We also provide full medical services, drug and alcohol counseling and psyhe / social counseling as well...So while local taxpayers and workers who can't afford to live and work in SB have to commute to WORK, you and your "homeless" drinking buddies can obtain "in city housing" . If it's not available now, more housing is coming, just be patient! It will take Helene Schneider a few more years to convert more taxes into homeless condos...
Just say NO!
One-way tickets : 6/18/2009
I agree that there seem to be more homeless in the downtown area (State Street) than there were two years ago. What a shame that cruise ships stop here to visit our beautiful town, only to be greeted with the homeless staggering around, sitting on all the downtown benches, while tourists make their way up State Street to visit retail stores and restaurants. Here's your 10-year plan solution: how about one-way bus tickets for the homeless to another town?!
ONE WAY TICKETS : 6/18/2009
YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK...AND BTW...TO THE DAILY SOUND SENSORS...DONT REMOVE MY STUFF BECAUSE ITS TO HARSH OF A TRUTH FOR YOU LIBERAL WEENIES! HAVE A PAIR AND LEAVE MY POSTS ALONE!!
WOWO MAN
"WILL WORK FOR FOOD" : 6/18/2009
I read that some where before....oh yeah....ON EVERY F@#$&^% STREET CORNER IN THIS DAMN TOWN!
WOWO MAN
HOMELESS BENEFITS UNDESERVED : 6/18/2009
I have to say it is utterly appalling how many free handouts the homeless receive here in Santa Barbara. It is no wonder they dominate the downtown district and make patrons of local businesses feel uncomfortable on a daily basis. Thanks to our government officials, Santa Barbara is a resort town for street vagrants. They are allowed to come here, enjoy the beautiful weather, overtake State Street, aggressively panhandle, eat free meals at Casa Esparanza, receive free health treatment, and even be selected for free housing. Are you kidding me? 344 homeless have been placed in houses funded by our tax dollars with a goal of 1,000! The homeless comprise 10% of our jail population, yet we still have people worried about giving them a free ride to safe housing upon being released from jail. Helene Schneider’s claim that “the homeless have a right to not be assaulted” is a pitiful shout and tear drop in a river that should be washed to sea along with undeserved homeless benefits. Maybe if we stopped encouraging so many free riders from coming to Santa Barbara, they wouldn’t be assaulting each other in our city limits. I think it’s safe to say most crimes that occur amongst the homeless population are homeless on homeless crimes. Ms. Schneider needs to simmer down before she starts accussing Santa Barbara’s good citizens at large of hate crimes on the homeless. In this day and age, nothing surprises me except how many public officials have lost their common sense. www.webstarts.com/tevis4council
Who is Justin Tevis?
Critical or Part of the Solution? : 6/18/2009
It makes me sick to see no "humanity" anymore. If those who posted here before I did, are the people I have to share the planet with, then the human race has no future. Welcome to your future: hate, spite, judgment, and love of self, with no care for those who aren't as fortunate to be as perfect as you all seem to be. Ship them to another town? That's your solution? And if other cities ship their's here, how are you going to feel? Your aren't. You have no feelings. I pity all of you.
not my problem : 6/18/2009
it is sad how some people become homeless. however, it should not the tax paying citizens who pay additional taxes to make the homeless more comfortable. there are enough wealthy liberals in this town who can donate money to the homeless cause. they should allow the citizens the option of having any of your tax dollars going toward homeless initiatives. I for one prefer not to give another dime to any of the homeless. if you feel bad about them being homeless, how about you invite one of them into YOUR home to stay with you? lets see how humane you really are. Jason Marquez
KJEEsucks
It's a BUSINESS... : 6/18/2009
OK, I will state this once again...The homeless situation in Santa Barbara is a "Homeless Industry..." Count how many county and city employees are dependant on the homeless industry. From the Santa Barbara Housing Authority, Santa Barbara County Alcohol ,Drug & Mental Health Services employees, County Housing & Community Development, County Public Health, County MEDICALLY INDIGENT ADULT ELIGIBILITY SERVICES (whatever THAT is), Get ready for THIS one: City of Santa Barbara Grant-FairHousing-Home Rehabilitation-Housing Development-Agency...the list goes on and on. What amazes me, is that there are STILL people (who ,no doubt are new transplants to CA /Santa Barbara), who whine about those who pay taxes here "have no humanity" "cause we are tired of the "open house policy" for homeless our local politicians have made Santa Barbara... We are tired of it! The "homeless" are NOT from Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County or for that matter California!!! I have talked with many who are here. Some were given Greyhound bus passes TO SB from other Southern California jurisdictions... (Burbank/Glendale, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, etc). If you are tired of seeing new condos/bulidings being errected (like the one at Carrillo and Castillo) for the "chronic homeless" then DO NOT VOTE for Helene Schneider... She is all about building more. Maybe Helene will build a complex up in the Riviera Area near where her and her husband reside....NOT! I commuted to SB from Orcutt 'cause it was too expensive for me here... It must irk the commuters waiting to get on the freeway at Carrillo St to see that huge complex on Carrillo and Castillo the City built for the poor homeless souls... I guess there is no humanity in SB... But hey , let's cut vital Police and Fire services in the community.
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