A five-minute walk down State Street yields proof that homelessness is a firmly rooted problem in Santa Barbara, and a diverse group of local leaders will be discussing just how to deal with it during a panel session on Thursday.

The topic will be the latest in the series “Townhall Conversations that Matter,” a set of public talks sponsored by the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Thursday’s event is also sponsored by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the McCune Foundation.

The public is invited to attend the free panel discussion, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Fleischmann Auditorium at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol.

A handful of officials on the panel include Rob Pearson, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara Police Chief Cam Sanchez; Kathleen Baushke, executive director of Transition House; the Rev. Mark Asman of Trinity Episcopal Church; and Trey Lindle, senior manager of Paseo Nuevo.

The panel will be moderated by Noozhawk Executive Editor Tom Bolton, Nick Welsh of the Santa Barbara Independent and arbitration specialist Stan Roden.

For more information, email jcanty@sbnature2.org or call 805.682.4711 x170.

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.