The City of Santa Barbara saw an infusion of badly needed alcohol and drug detox beds Friday, and a ribbon-cutting gave the public a chance to see the facility that has room for 12 low-income clients making the transition into recovery.
The four-bedroom, four-bath single-family home at 1020 Placido Ave. in the West Downtown neighborhood has been converted into a recovery center run by the Santa Barbara Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, and will be especially helpful in providing more spaces for women seeking drug and alcohol treatment.
CADA formerly operated a detox center out of the Casa Esperanza building at 816 Cacique St., which had no facilities for women, who had to be taken to detox facilities in the North County.
But separate sleeping rooms and bathrooms for women will be available at the Placido Avenue site, so men and women can be housed securely there. At the new location, six 24-hour certified alcohol-and-drug counselors will staff the facility, which will lead clients through a two-week detox program.
CADA executive director Penny Jenkins said the new facility can house up to three women every two weeks, and can accommodate more if more women apply and can share the same room.
CADA and Casa Esperanza have shared the space on Cacique Street since the homeless shelter opened six years ago. The shared space was a somewhat awkward fit, and people entering the detox facility have complained that they could access drugs and alcohol from homeless people moving in and out of the shelter.
Now, CADA has its own space, and Casa Esperanza will turn its sights to transforming the former detox space into a Wellness and Income & Housing Resource Center, according to Mike Foley, Casa Esperanza’s executive director.
The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara purchased the Placido Avenue property with Redevelopment Agency Funds, which are no longer available, and the $350,000 remodel of the property was provided by the Hutton Parker Foundation. The Santa Barbara County Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services will provide operating funding for the facility.
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital also stepped up to provide $35,000 for the first-year operating costs, and the Santa Barbara Foundation provided a one-time grant as well to help pay for furnishings for the building.
— 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.
