Edhat Staff
La Posada is an 80-Unit Housing Community for Homeless Individuals on the South Coast
An interim supportive housing community broke ground at the former County Juvenile Hall site on Friday.
County officials and stakeholders met at 4500 Hollister Ave to celebrate the beginning of La Posada, an 80-unit temporary supportive housing community aimed at serving people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in South Santa Barbara County.
While permanent housing is the long-term goal, La Posada hopes to close the gap between living outdoors and housing stability, where residents can be safe and receive the critical supportive services needed.
La Posada is a public-private collaboration between DignityMoves, the County of Santa Barbara, and Good Samaritan Shelter, the service provider and operator.
Dignity Moves is hoping this project will serve as model for the state to end homelessness.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s Senior Advisor on Homelessness, Hafsa Kaka, was in attendance as well as Santa Barbara County Supervisors Laura Capps and Das Williams, County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, Good Samaritan Shelter’s Director of Homeless Services Kirsten Cahoon, and County Behavioral Wellness Director Toni Navarro.
Representatives of the project’s funders from the Balay Ko Foundation and the James M. Cox Foundation of Cox Communications were also in attendance as well as Duane Henry of NCIS fame and Meredith Baxter of Family Ties who served as co-hosts.
County Supervisors approved the project last May. It’s expected to be completed in the next few months with residents hoping to move in by April.
“It is my sincerest hope that La Posada will help us forge a safer, more humane, and more cohesive community,” said Supervisor Laura Capps.
The detached one-room homes will offer a bed, heating, air conditioning, and lockable doors. Each resident will receive intensive case management, three meals a day, mental and physical healthcare, with 24/7 site security. Alcohol, drugs, and visitors are not permitted.
This marks the third DignityMoves project in Santa Barbara County. The first housing site was completed in 2022 in the downtown area, named Santa Barbara Street Village, housing 34 homeless residents. Last spring, Hope Village broke ground at 2131 Southside Parkway in Santa Maria as a 94-room community operated by Good Samaritan Shelter and plans to open next month.
“We know this strategy is already working, as evidenced by the 60% decrease in veteran homelessness throughout our County last year. But we also know we can’t stop here,” said Supervisor Das Williams.
He went on to state there are over 80 people living at temporary shelters who are ready to move to permanent housing, but there’s no place for them to go.
“The good news is that we have over 300 units of permanent housing under development across the County that will be a lifeline for those residents,” said Williams.
Residents are encouraged to help the county receive adequate funding for such efforts by volunteering with the Point in Time Count taking place this month.
This is great. We need a dozen or more of these sort of facilities strategically placed about the county. Good work.
The only demographic increasing within the State of California. Those with little to zero tax contributions and just taking…
Wrong, as usual.
And seriously? How are they supposed to make amy meaningful tax contributions? They have little to money to spend and they are HOMELESS. Gripe, moan, cry, hate. All you do here.
Coast is right, just the wrong demographic. Unless they’re including the undocumented… The largest influx of a demographic of anything in the US, CA, and all the southern attached states.
Hey, all you libs on here are “well off” and good for you. So how about making some EXTRA contributions? Pay extra taxes, donate cash to the homeless corp. Maybe volunteer or invite the homeless to live with you? Come on man! You can say shit on the internet all you want, but don’t you want to back something up? NOPE.
OG, no he’s not.
And the rest of your comment is just the same tired old rambling drivel from the Cons. All I said was the homeless don’t have the money to make the “tax contributions” Coast and you are crying about. Guess why? They’re jobless. Brilliant observation guys.
And what do you know of me or whether I’m “well off?” You have no clue what struggles I’ve had and have in life. I don’t need to be “well off” to have empathy for those worse off than me (or to have basic reading skills). So tired of this blue collar Conservative “poor me” and “liberals are all rich and giving my hArD ErnED tAX dOlLers” bs.
@OGSB – I would happily pay more in taxes if all the millionaires and billionaires paid their fair share too. If Trump, Bezos, Gates, and whoever else has a ton of money (or claims to) all pay their fair share, then we would all be better off. But no, it always falls on the lower and middle classes.
BTW – undocumented people also pay taxes.
The wealthy pay their fair share as determined by our government. It’s not up to them to overpay, it’s up to us to overcharge. BTW none to the billionaires take it with them – it always will fall upon us to collect at their death.