Anonymous
By DignityNow
DignityMoves, an innovative and successful homeless non-profit that builds Interim Supportive Housing Villages with modular construction announced an ambitious plan to significantly reduce homelessness in Santa Barbara County. The DignityNow Capital Campaign has already raised $10 million of the $19 million it seeks to support four new villages with 300 additional rooms across the county. DignityMoves has partnered with the county to provide land and funding for social services for the villages.
Homelessness is a devastating issue that affects everyone in the country. In Santa Barbara County alone, over the course of a year, approximately 3500 people will experience homelessness. This is a heartbreaking situation that demands immediate action and that is precisely where DignityMoves comes in.
DignityMoves Interim Supportive Housing Communities are places where people can come in from encampments, along the freeways, riverbeds, and streets to stabilize and begin a path toward healing and self-sufficiency. Each resident has their own private room with a door that locks, AC/heat, a desk, Wi-Fi, onsite bathrooms and showers, laundry facilities and three meals a day. Residents can also bring their belongings, partners, and pets.
One of the more significant advantages of the DignityMoves model is its mobility. By taking services directly to those in need, the program can reach individuals who might otherwise be unable or unwilling to access traditional congregate shelters and support services. This approach has proven highly effective, with DignityMoves achieving an impressive success rate in connecting individuals with housing health care and employment.
DignityMoves is a unique program that offers a comprehensive range of services to the homeless, including housing, employment resources, medical and mental health care, and substance abuse support. The program is staffed by teams of highly trained professionals dedicated to helping the homeless in Santa Barbara County regain their dignity and rebuild their lives. Each DignityMoves resident has their own case manager.
The first housing site in Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Street Village, was completed last year and of the 34 homeless residents, 8 have become employed and 9 have transitioned to more permanent stable housing. Residents transitioning out of the DignityMoves Villages create space for additional homeless people to more in. Also, because the DignityMoves modular model is exempt from the regulatory and permitting process facing most construction projects, the Santa Barbara Street Village was completed in only 9 months.
(courtesy photo)
The second property, Hope Village in Santa Maria, is currently in development and will have 94 rooms which include housing for Transitional Age Youth (those between the ages of 18-24, many of whom are leaving the foster care system) Hope Village will also collaborate with Dignity Health’s Marian Regional Medical Center and 30 of the rooms will provide recuperative/respite care, allowing individuals experiencing homelessness to have a safe place recover. Ten rooms will be for veterans and the remaining 44 for unsheltered individuals and couples. DignityMoves anticipates three additional Dignity Moves Village locations in the Santa Barbara/Goleta later this year.
Partnerships are Key to the Success of DignityMoves. Good Samaritan Shelter plays a critical role in the Santa Barbara Street Village as they provide onsite case management, connect clients to other local resources including mental health care, addiction services, SSI and other benefits, job placements and works tirelessly to help clients find their way back to stable housing. Other partners include Dignity Health, SB ACT, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, County of Santa Barbara Public Health, County of Santa Barbra Behavior Health, and the County of Santa Barbara Public Defenders Office.
The DignityNOW Capital Campaign needs your help. DignityMoves cannot succeed without community and financial support. As a nonprofit organization, the program relies on the generosity of donors to continue to provide essential services to those who need them most. With your support, you will be participating in a cutting-edge and proven model to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the homeless population in Santa Barbara County.
As a demonstration of community support, DignityMoves offers naming and sponsorship opportunities at each of our sites. Rooms available for “naming” include kitchen/dining area, office spaces, computer labs, outdoor patios, and gardens. These sponsorships typically range from $10,000-$1,000,000 and include a permanent plaque with your name/group name and acknowledgement at events and DignityMoves literature. Please contact Jack Lorenz at (310) 266-0502 or Jack@DignityMoves.org for any sponsorship or support-related questions or visit https://dignitymoves.org/donate/
Thank you for the hard work and effort to help our homeless community. It’s really refreshing to see the dedication and money being put into this.
This is good news. Amazing how fast a new homeless encampment has grown on the Lompoc Airport property right off the Hwy1.
Author, can you tell us the addresses of your villages?
BASIC – the SB one is downtown on SB street near the DA’s office I believe? You can’t really see it from the street.
I think this is another in a series of good ideas but I do have question
https://www.independent.com/2021/11/11/grand-unveiling-for-downtown-homeless-village/
I have to bring up math though.
(33)SB street cabins were cost out at $25,000 per unit or a total of $825K. This is a fantastic price per unit considering LA was spending $650K per unit.
Dignity Moves raised $600K and SB County chipped in $500K which equals $1.1 million. In a reading of the article, no one asked where the other $275K went.
Here is the odder number though. Those (33) units cost the County $1.2M per year to operate which is $36,000 per unit per year.
Lets say that 1000 units would make our county wide homeless problem go away. At $36,000 per year per unit, or $3000 a month per person, the County would have to raise taxes by $36M or That is the equivalent of renting a 3 bed 3 bath home for $9,000 a month
I marvel at the expertise in the homeless arena. Dignity Moves is so skilled at organizing and constructing tiny home villages and CityNet and others have proven themselves champions at street level transition work. Bravo to you, not only for your heart, but your proficiency and expertise.
I live in downtown Santa Barbara. I have noticed a significant reduction in encampments over the last 6 months. The puzzle is where the unhoused are now; still in Santa Barbara? If so, kudos to the many organizations who have pitched in to provide shelter.
Bigugly, are you saying “ it’s not fair” that everyone who WANTS to live here, in SB, one of the most desirable places to live in CA cannot do so? I think that’s what you’re saying.
Life’s not fair. Everyone cannot always get what they want all the time, everytime. I’d like to be 6-3. I’d like to have a nicer car. I’d like to be able to hit a 100mph baseball. I’d like to live in …. Fill in the blank. Where do you draw the line? How do you decide who gets what? People that can’t afford to make a living here and still want to make a living and support themselves and/or their families will realize there are plenty of other places in our region, our state, and our country to do just that – and they can move. And I bet they’ll never look back. But if you say we should just keep building and building cheap homes for everyone who wants to be here, regardless of their ability to work and earn income that pays their taxes, bills, and also supports themselves and their families – well, I’d say that’s not a good plan.
Basic, how are we going to have a working city if a large portion of those who make it work cannot afford to live here?!
I was once on the La Cumbre Plaza property when it was an empty lot. I detest the traffic on upper State.
But I support exploring and building subsidized, higher density and higher elevation housing.
I don’t want more townhouses and mcmansions like Hitchcock & State, or San Remo next to the creek by Ontare! I want decent, AFFORDABLE apartment buildings.
Thank you Dignity Moves. This is wonderful. But I wonder if and when the city of Santa Barbara will DO ANYTHING about the massive crippling housing crisis we have here, the cost of living and the over saturation of Air BnBs and vacation rentals. STRs are KILLING our city! The middle class is priced out, and unless you have family money or have been here generations and your parents were smart and bought, you are S.O.L. The middle class needs AFFORDABLE HOUSING in SB.
Biguglystick. You are incorrect. I and several of my friends bought houses in town with no inheritance nor gifts. Most are in construction of some sort. Not saying it was easy. And I was over 50 when I paid my last mortgage payment. And I did work six or seven days per week. I consider myself lucky in the choices I made and the skills I had to offer to accomplish this. Not beating anyone up, but it was and is possible to own here.
Basicinfor666 ??? Thanks for adding SO much to the “Conversation”?
My 2 cents: “You’re wrong”?
So Bicyclist, lets say you want a “S-Works Tarmac SL7 – Shimano Dura-Ace Di2” At $15,000 Cant afford it? What do you do? Purchase a less expensive bicycle? Same principals apply to where you can afford to live. If you choose to live in an expensive area, have a way to afford it. Where people choose to live is a lifestyle choice. unlike other things.
Biguglystick Buy something NOW. Trust me, what seems out of reach today will become more affordable every year you own it. The mortgage payment is fixed for 30 years, Property taxes are limited by prop 13, inflation and appreciation makes your property worth more every year. Plenty of help from programs for first time buyers. No reason to ever worry about being evicted or rents going up. Rent a room out to help cover costs and enjoy becoming one of the evil landlords!!
Alexblue, It is always a good time to secure your long term living arraignment. But you are correct that a couple of years ago was better!!! It you own and live in your own property the fluctuations in the market value don’t matter so much. The monthly payment stays the same. The chicken little’s always crying the sky is falling are the ones always crying.
This is stupid advice. Now is not a good time.
Rotflmao! Thank you for another unintentional typo joke; this is a classic. Really. I mean no offense.
“It is always a good time to secure your long term living arraignment.”
Fractional ownership and the explosion of investment companies buying up single family homes are two new ‘developments’ that will do damage to both rental and family ownership. Other cities have jumped on fractional ownership to keep these out of our neighborhoods. Time for SB to do likewise. In 2021, 18% of home sales in the US were to these massive Wall Street companies like Blackstone. We see it in our neighborhood already. They buy, leave them empty for months, jack up the rents, get people in for a year and then off they go. Cycle starts all over again.
That’s fine, Bicyclist. You have yours and I have mine, but the 666? I happen to agree w others here who have said that it IS possible to buy a home if you have a skill and work hard. No inheritance necessary. Some of us have done that.
I started with nothing, no family money, no settled permanent place to live (all family, most friends moved because it was too expensive here). I saved down payment and bought a house on an income that only supported the mortgage if I worked more than 60-70 hours a week and spent next to nothing. I did know people here from friends of family and school K-12, and those connections helped me a lot. That said, I also made sure those people who connected me to others were (hopefully) never ever going to regret their recommendation. No one ever gave me a penny cash and I worked to fulfill obligations and responsibilities beyond expectations and built a base of recommendations. Yes, I climbed the real estate ladder using heavy, but expensive leverage, and now own several pieces of property. My tenants have always liked me and I’ve been lucky to find good ones, and when I find good ones I try to keep them. My vacant land is for future investment, but I also like greenspace and in a good economy don’t mind paying taxes on land with no income. Properties are all currently zoned 1-10 acre for one home and an ADU, and I would not be interested in challenging the zoning and building ordinances so I could build dwellings at .20 acre each because the density ruins the environment, destroys the greenspace. There is a stewardship arrangement between the planet and I that doesn’t include any 30 foot high condos, apartments, and/or townhomes jammed 5 buildings per acre in a semi rural area
No, life isn’t fair. And government can’t house everyone.
I have no solution, BUT
The well-off and rich want employees, like gardeners, housekeepers, caregivers, tradesmen for renovations and to keep their homes and businesses running. They/we also want services like dry cleaners, grocery stores, restaurants, shops that cater to our interests (golf, bookstores, clothing, art, etc.)
We all also want nurses, police and emergency workers!
How are we as a community, a city, county, state and nation, to maintain ourselves, our communities of whatever size, where all can live and contribute?
Our current economic and housing situation seems untenable. Consideration has to be given to the workers that the rich want and need to hire.
What are some solutions?
I like the idea of statutorily requiring those who own estates of a certain acreage to provide living quarters on that acreage to grounds and house keepers. The owners will also be able to house personal caregivers when necessary.
Who am I kidding. People that rich already and always require personal caregivers. I think the only difference is if they’re called executive assistants or caregivers. We’ll all get to that point of need, it just gets paid for in different ways.
Hitting rich people like that is a drop in the bucket. There are 10’s of thousands of people and businesses in SB County that have gardeners and housekeepers for a few hours here and there a week, and it all adds up to way, way, way more people than the rich have. Get ready to push the downvote button, because your cash or personal check paid housekeepers and gardeners, often, shockingly, do not declare all of their income. Some of them declare just enough income to qualify for housing subsidies and to also get public assistance. I know this for a fact because people have asked me to help them structure like this and I have declined. The truly rich set up corporations to care for their estates and they stay out of needless trouble with the IRS by having their lawyers and accountants handle employees to the letter of the law. The vast amount of scofflaws are the people who employ and pay their part time employee manual labor and cleaners cash and personal check without contributing the employers obligation of 6.2% on top of wages to Social Security etc. If you are a cheapskate and pay your gardener $16HR you should be paying the feds over $1HR in benefits on top of that $16. Sure you’ll complain about rich people loopholes, but you are fine with personally exploiting the loophole that says even illegal alien workers who work for cash are supposed to declare their income correctly. If you are somewhat kind and a good citizen, you pay over $20, you should be paying the feds $1.50 HR in benefits beyond that, but nobody does, and you do not want to know, right. If the US wanted a ton more of SS money they’d go looking to the entitled masses who have part time nannies, gardeners, and housekeepers in places like SB. A wink a nod, you know your part time employee who only takes cash or personal check isn’t declaring much income but by all means blame the rich