The ACT On Homelessness Collaborative’s new three-year strategic plan to address homelessness in South Santa Barbara County, will be addressed at a community meeting, noon-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Goleta Community Center auditorium, 5679 Hollister Ave.

Up for discussion are questions like: Who is losing housing in our community? What do local homeless populations with significant mental health needs have in common? What do community leaders think the solutions are for all of these issues?

“The ACT On Homelessness Collaborative has identified important trends in our community related to the questions above that we’re eager to share with you so we can work on solutions together,” organizers said.

“Our strategies include: (1) helping those with significant mental health or substance use needs to move off the streets and into care, (2) diverting people who have recently become homeless back into housing, and more,” they said.
 
RSVP at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AOH3year.
 
“We have been working over the last five months to gather baseline data and survey the community with regard to local perspectives on homelessness and the results are pretty telling,” said Landon Ranck, associate director with the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT).

“We have to come to a common understanding of local homelessness issues so we can make progress as a community,” Rack said.

The ACT On Homelessness Collaborative is a South County homelessness coalition made up of leaders from the cities of Carpinteria, Goleta and Santa Barbara, the county of Santa Barbara, local homelessness nonprofits, business and philanthropic leaders, and people with lived experience of homelessness.

The coalition is convened by SB ACT.
 
Formed in 2019 in partnership with the city of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Foundation, the collaborative has since boosted homelessness outreach initiatives; helped people with significant behavioral health needs move into housing; and created opportunities for community members to engage in local solutions.

In 2023, the collaborative broadened its focus from the city of Santa Barbara to encompass all of South County and launched a three-year strategic plan in 2024.