The United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County will no longer operate on Santa Barbara’s Eastside, forcing the downtown club to find a new operator to provide youth services.

A dispute over a lack of services and funding has caused the organization to leave its facility on Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara — and take its charter with it.

The United Boys & Girls Clubs has been operating out of the Canon Perdido Street facility, known as the downtown club, since 2020 as part of an operating agreement with the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara.

As part of the agreement, the United Boys & Girls Clubs was supposed to maintain regular operations and programs developed by the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara, which had been operating since 1938.

Mark Alvarado, the downtown club’s alumni association president, said that since United took over operations, the downtown club has been serving only younger kids, has had no programs for teens and has had limited hours. 

“From the alumni perspective and the community’s perspective, we wonder why the building closes at 5 o’clock, is not open on weekends and not open on holidays,” Alvarado said. “Traditionally, that’s how that building met the needs of the community, by being that hub for teens and for all kids.”

Michael Baker, chief executive officer of the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, said they were leaving the Canon Perdido site because of a lack of payment from the downtown club in more than two years.

“We’ve tried to work with them on whatever issue they were bringing up,” Baker said. “We tried to work through it. We tried to set up meetings. We still funded this and still ran the club for two years without any support from downtown.”

Alvarado said they were not paying the United Club because they were not maintaining the level of operations agreed upon. 

“They’ve had numerous discussions between their lawyers about all of this, so this isn’t new to them,” Alvarado said. “They were aware of what the disagreements were.”

According to Alvarado, the downtown board asked United to vacate the site last year, but the two clubs couldn’t come to a termination agreement, so United was allowed to continue operations. However, in March, United said it would vacate the site.

“It was a very, very difficult decision for our board to make, but the one that I support 100% as the CEO,” Baker said. “What was happening here is impacting all the other clubs that we have. It’s just not the way it was supposed to be.”

Baker said United was completely funding the Canon Perdido site on its own, which meant less money was going to its other clubs. 

Baker said they are working with families to provide transportation to the Westside Boys & Girls Club.

The downtown club has had its own charter since 1938, but it’s now losing its charter to operate as a Boys & Girls Club because United is leaving the site. Alvarado said the downtown club is working to get its charter reinstated. 

“The whole intent is to get a new operator in there and to fulfill the needs of the community and restore all the legacy services as they were,” Alvarado said. “It’s just a little barrier, but it’s not going to preclude us from serving kids.”