The California Chapter of the American Planning Association has recognized DignityMoves of Santa Barbara County for outstanding achievement in opportunity and empowerment.
DignityMoves is a nonprofit dedicated to ending unsheltered homelessness through building scalable Interim Supportive Housing communities.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors was selected for the Award of Excellence by a jury of APA California peers, representing diverse planning fields and locations across the state.
DignityMoves’ success is based on a combination of Interim Supportive Housing Villages, land donated by Santa Barbara County, and extensive supportive services through their partner Good Samaritan.
The model uses county land and modular construction to accelerate an otherwise laborious process, particularly in Santa Barbara County, of getting new housing built.
Using donated money for construction and county money, primarily for supportive services, helps assure a high rate of success in moving people off the streets into permanent housing.
Residents gain optimism and hope to move on with their lives. This is a model that works and is being replicated in other communities across California and the country, DignityMoves reports.
“I’m proud that Santa Barbara County is home to one of the most innovative public-private partnerships to address the housing and direct service needs for those experiencing homelessness,” said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps.
“This unique nexus of donated county land, holistic wraparound services, and generous philanthropic dollars is a recipe for success for ensuring everyone in our community is well cared for,” she said.
To date, DignityMoves has built three interim housing communities in Santa Barbara County — Santa Barbara Street Village, La Posada Village off Hollister Avenue, and Hope Village in Santa Maria.
The spaces have a total of 243 beds and the capacity to serve more than 350 residents per year.
A new family village is slated to break ground later this year.
“We are honored for this recognition by the American Planning Association in the category of Opportunity and Empowerment which lands perfectly with our mission to expand the possibilities to the formerly unsheltered residents in Santa Barbara Community,” said Jack Lorenz, regional advancement director for DignityMoves, Santa Barbara County.
“In most cases, what our residents need is a chance to catch their breath and then work with professionals who ‘see’ them and give them the tools necessary to succeed,” Lorenz said.
The APA California Awards Program aims to promote quality in planning and enhance public awareness of the planning profession by recognizing outstanding achievements in the field.
For more about DignityMoves, visit www.dignitymoves.org.